Chapter 3: 2

Chapter 2: When the Tsukitsugumi Cries

 

      The folklore studies club room after school.

      After a brief, fruitless staring contest against the career survey form that was handed out today, I gave up and opened the club activity journal instead.

      Kaoru was opposite me reading his manga magazine. Meanwhile, Yuri wasn’t around as he was attending the class chairman meeting.

      “Hey, Kaoru, have you heard about the ‘four lows’ that the modern Japanese women look for in a husband?”

      “Huh?”

      “I saw it on the TV. They are: low posture, low dependence, low risk and low maintenance.”

      “What are you trying to say, Maki?”

      “Low posture meaning they don’t boss their wife around. Low dependence meaning they don’t rely on their wife to do the household chores. Low risk meaning they work a stable job that has a low risk of being restructured. And, low maintenance meaning they don’t spent needlessly on unneccesary things… or so, apparently.”

      “Ho. In that case, I must be the ultimate choice when it comes to looking for a husband in these times then… Hah.”

      Kaoru put down his magazine and flashed the haughtiest grin at me.

      Still, if I’m being completely honest, he pretty much fits all the above criteria.

      That personality is somewhat irritating at times, but he is the diligent type. He even comes over during the weekends to tidy up my bathroom, all the way to the slightest speck of grime in the pipes even though no one asked him.

      He also doesn’t have any hobbies that costs a lot. I mean, Kaoru pretty much loves money so he doesn’t even spend much.

      It’s still too early to predict what job he’ll take up in the future, but his results are excellent and he’s seriously studious… Taking into account his pragmatism, it’d be safe to assume he’d find a stable workplace with good employee welfare.

      Anyway, even without all these discussions about his specs and what-now, I’ve known since forever that Kaoru’s a good husband.

      “Still, you have much more room to improve on in terms of the ‘low posture’ part. You act like you’re always right from time to time.”

      “Huh? What do mean I act like I’m always right. And what, you fancy yourself a queen from somewhere?”

      “I’m not a queen from somewhere, I’m your wife!”

      “What is this hellish wife saying… Well, this is what you are: high-handed, high upkeep, and high bludgeoning strength! Do something about these ‘three highs’ before you talk!”

      “That part about being high-handed I do admit. But, that high upkeep is uncalled for. I’m fine with you just the way you are, nothing more and nothing less.”

      “……”

      “And high bludgeoning strength is one of my good points. A woman needs to be strong no matter the era!”

      Kaoru just stared at me like he didn’t know what I was talking about, and in the end muttered something unintelligible under his breath before fnishing off his can of cola.

      That’s right, I was once Kaoru’s wife.

      Near the entrance to the folklore studies club room was a whiteboard filled with scribbles, a result of the fervent brainstorming session we’ve had the past few days. Several topic headings still remained as a leftover of our discussions.

      Why must we ayakashi be exterminated by the humans?

      As always, this was our main theme, written right at the top.

      Kaoru and I were none other than the reincarnations of the famed pair of oni feared far and wide in Heian-kyo a thousand years ago.

      We were the one and only Shuten-doji and Ibaraki-dooji.

○

      Back in the Heian period.

      Except for the small number of the rich who lived in grace, the Capital was in the midst of a great famine that saw many starved to death, their bodies left rotting on the streets and diseases running rampant. The chaos also saw the rise of night burglars, and public order was in an awful state.

      This is all because of the ayakashi and their curses, they said.

      In order to cover up their shortfalls, the Imperial Court pinned everything on the ayakashi as their scapegoat, driving them away from their dwelling, and exorcising and exterminating them indiscriminately. Those who survived the hunt also vented their fury for their fellow ayakashi by assaulting the humans.

      This is a story from those times.

      In the midst of the fighting, an oni by the name of Shuten-doji emerged and built a hidden village in the heights of Mt. Ooe as a safe haven for the ayakashi. In a sense, he had established an extremely small country.

      At that time, countless ayakashi had lost their homes, and there were also many humans being persecuted under suspicion of being ayakashi in disguise. He invited them all to his country and provided them with food and shelter, even providing jobs for them so that they may continue to live there.

      Unfortunately, our peace was short-lived; it was brought down by the most famous onmyoji of all times, Abe no Seimei.

      Furthermore, an ayakashi exterminating force was formed, led by Minamoto no Yorimitsu, who was hailed as the strongest of the time.

      Under him was his four retainers: Watanabe no Tsuna, Sakata no Kintoki, Urabe no Suetake, and Usui Sadamitsu.

      They uncovered our hidden village, tricked their way in and brought down the fort… Basically, they slaughtered the lots of us.

      Flip through any historical text and you would read that Shuten-doji and the group of ayakashi he led was a group of violent marauder who abducted women and children and ate them, looted and plundered for gold, and left only destruction in their wake. Of course, these were but convenient “facts” created by the humans.

      The only accusation that had any truth to it was that he had “kidnapped” a princess, that being me…

      From the viewpoint of the humans, this was nothing but a heroic tale of eterminating monsters.

      However, from our perspective, it was plainly a genocide for the simple reason being that “we were ayakashi” and nothing else.

○

      “Why is it that we were reincarnated as humans, I wonder?”

      I inadvertently muttered as I rested my chin on my hands on top of the club activity journal. Kaoru replied almost immediately, “What’s this out of the blue?”

      “I mean, don’t you find it strange? I know humans and ayakashi both have the concept of death and rebirth, but I’ve never seen or heard of any humans reborn with the memories of ayakashi like we do.”

      “That just means we’re the exception. Maybe it’s because our spiritual powers were too great. …Not to mention, Heian-kyo was full of curses and sorcery at that time. It wouldn’t be strange if some kind of incomprehensible distortion occurred that messed up our rebirths or something.”

      “Hmm, sounds plausible. Must be all those onmyoji’s grudges.”

      I wrote it down in the journal under the entry for today’s date. This is surely due to a curse by the onmyoji, yes…

      The eras have changed with the passage of time, and so have the local culture and even the relationship between humans and ayakashi.

      Having lived in modern Japan for seventeen years, I’ve gotten used to most of the changes. Still, there were certain things that I just can’t help but be unable to get used to.

      “It’s a twist of luck that we were reborn as human, so we should be live properly and ceremoniously as humans do. In other words, Maki, you should stop sticking you nose into ayakashi matters without thinking it through with your brain first.”

      “Blah blah blah, again with the lectures. Oh, how the hot-blooded you of the past would’ve cried if he heard you now.”

      “Hey, that topic’s off-limits!”

      “People these days revere Shuten-doji the strongest oni in all of Japan’s history, you know. A veritable legend and Hero amongst ayakashi. They just can’t get enough of him, showing up everywhere in games, light novels and manga. Your heroic figure as you protect the weak ayakashi, cutting down evil humans with your tachi. …I still remember it clear as day even now. How you saved me from the prison I was locked up in… Ah, my heart still skips a beat whenever I think back to that moment!”

      “Ahhh, stop it! That’s all dark history to me now! Nooo, just kill me!”

      “I don’t get why you’re always so embarrassed… Alright, let’s write that down too. ‘Kaoru thinks of his past life as dark history, and wants to die just by remembering it. Yet, he adores shonen manga series where Shuten-doji appears as a strong character and reads them religiously every week.’ Yep, that should do it.”

      “Wh-Wh-Who says that’s the reason I read them every week…!”

      Whenever I see Kaoru’s reaction when I mention Shuten-doji, it reminds me of a teenage boy writhing in embarrassment at having his cringey youthful indiscretion revealed. Though, I guess he is in his adolescent years now if we’re talking in terms of physical age…

      Regardless, I think I understand Kaoru’s regret whenever he hears the legend of Shuten-doji popping up.

      He had fought so hard against the humans for the sakes of the ayakashi. But at the end of the long battle, he lost everything.

      Due to a mistake, he’d driven all his loved ones to their deaths.

      It’s because of this trauma and inner conflict that he currently tries to distance himself from matters related to the ayakashi. I know for one that he secretly helps them out from the shadows, though.

      “I’m back!”

      Right on cue, Yuri opened the door with a bang, announcing his return.

      “I hate to interrupt while you guys were digging up Kaoru-kun’s old wounds, but do you have a moment?”

      “How long have you been there?! And, you’re not a single bit sorry about it, aren’t you?!”

      Contrary to his gentle appearance, Yuri was in fact slightly blackhearted. He manages to hide it pretty well, though.

      Deflecting Kaoru’s scowl with a smile, he lifted an index finger and continued.

      “How would the two of you like to stay over at my house tonight?”

      “What! Can we?!”

      I reflexively bounced up from my seat. A stay over means we can stay up late to play games and chat all night!

      Yuri’s lips twisted into a grin and he continued, “Actually,”

       My parents and the inn’s staff are all not around today because of a staff retreat. Since I’ll be home by myself, Mom suggested that I invite you two to come over and stay the night.”

      Yuri’s mom have always looked out for me and Kaoru since we were kids and trusted us deeply. This wasn’t the first time she called us over to stay too.

      “Actually… there’s something I need to consult you two about too.”

      “…Hm? Something you want to consult us about?”

      “If there’s anyone I can rely on, it’s you guys. …Hehe.”

      Said Yuri cryptically with his index finger pressed against his lips.

      With his looks that wouldn’t lose to any girl, combined with that last smile, I’m feeling kinda scared here…

      “Oh, right. Let’s stop by the supermarket in front of the station on the way back. We’re having a barbeque party tonight.”

      “D-Did you just say barbeque?!”

      But with that one sentence, I jumped up in excitement once more.

      The light in my eyes might have been too carnivorous as Yuri took a small step back and nodded in reservation.

      “Y-Yeah… We just got some quality Miyazaki beef from our relatives. Mom said to treat the two of you to them. But I thought just that alone wouldn’t be enough to satiate you, Maki-chan, thus the trip to the supermarket to get more meat and vegetables.”

      “Alright! Let’s go! Right this moment!!”

      I hurriedly packed up, stuffing the career survey form and my pencil case into my bag.

      The club activity journal was the one thing I didn’t brought home, so I just kept it in the usual location in the drawer under the table.

      “You only ever make haste when it comes to eating, don’t you.”

      “Shut it, Kaoru! Hurry up and pack your stuff.”

      Just when I was about to leave the room, the scrawls on the whiteboard suddenly caught my eye.

      They were the topics brought up by us yesterday. In the end, we debated over and over until we were all worn out, and just left it there half-finished.

      I guess it’s fine to leave it as it is without erasing it. We haven’t finished our discussion, after all…

      “Come on, Maki. You’re the one rushing us and now you’re standing there like a rock? Let’s go.”

      “Oh, I’m coming!”

      As I caught up to Kaoru, the topic of yesterday’s discussion surreptitiously flashed through my mind. The main question being: Were there any other paths we could’ve gone back then? Was there a way for both humans and us ayakashi to co-exist without trying to eradicate each other?

      You might say that perhaps, there’s no point pondering over something like that by now. And you’re right. But just as the elderly liked to gather around and reminiscence about the good ol’ days, when snacks and refreshments are available, we’d often like to imagine what the past could’ve been.

      We all individually have our doubts about reincarnating as humans while retaining the memories of our times as ayakashi. Not to mention the regrets that we’ve yet to be able set aside. Sharing a common history, talking it out like this soothed our souls.

      At the same time, we took care not to show the regrets and lingering attachments of that era on the outside.

∗ ∗ ∗

      “Heeey, mind if I have a bit of your time?”

      As we left the old school building for the main block, a female third-year student ambushed us along the walkway.

      When we saw her, the three of us collectively let out an “Ugh”.

      She was none other than Taguchi-senpai, president of the infamous “newspaper club”, a tall-statured girl who wears a headband in her short hair.

      Beneath her affable smile, she collected scandalous information schoolwide, and wrote articles on them, leading people to speculate that she held sway over the student council and even the staff faculties…

      “I’m Taguchi from the newspaper club, are you guys fine to talk?!”

      “Nope, not fine at all.”

      “Ah, wait up a sec.”

      When we walked past her without paying heed, she dashed ahead and blocked our path.

      My guts told me that glint in her eyes was dangerous, and the pen in her hand seemed even mightier than a sword.

      “Surely you guys are aware? Rumors about the folklore studies club are the hot topic nowadays and everyone’s curious! You guys have even earned a spot as one of the school’s seven mysteries already!”

      “Huh? What seven mysteries?”

      I inadvertently asked back, only for Kaoru to poke me in the head as he said, “Don’t look her in the eye. Just ignore her.”

      “You’re the talk of the whole school. One of the top hotties of the second-year along with a multi-talented pretty boy and a beautiful girl​, spending all their time cooped up in the art preparation room in the old school building. What on earth could they be doing?! Doesn’t that just pique your interest!”

      “……”

      “In the first place, what kind of club activity do you guys even do? That in itself is already a mystery.”

      Our shoulders trembled with a jolt as our eyes darted around. “Um…”

      Taguchi-senpai didn’t miss that as she took out a paper notepad.

      “I-It’s nothing much. Just as the name implies, we investigate the various Japanese folklores and legends, and write reports summarizing our findings. Nothing dubious at all, I can assure you.”

      Yuri immediately followed up with a harmless explanation, but Taguchi-senpai looked at each of us with a face that screamed unconvinced.

      “Hmm, somehow that doesn’t fit the image I have of you all.”

      “……”

      “There’s this mysterious air around you that I can’t help but feel. Anyway, that’s precisely why the whole school’s so interested in you guys! Especially the girls, they’re all dying to know more about you, Amasake-kun!”

      “Huh?”

      Kaoru, who had averted his eyes from Taguchi-senpai all this time, accidentally reacted to her words and hurried covered his mouth.

      This drew out a grin on her face, and she held out her pen in front of Kaoru as if it was a microphone.

      “Amasake Kaoru of Class 2-A. A handsome guy belonging to the rare black-haired faction nowadays. Excellent academic-wise, constantly hovering around the top ten. Of course, what stands out most is the adult-like sultriness that girl can’t get enough of! Also fantastic at sports to the extent pretty much all sports club invited him to join but were rejected. You don’t see this kind of cutie who isn’t a frivolous playboy or a superficial pretty face anymore!”

      Showing no concern for Kaoru whose eyes had rolled back to show their whites, she turned her pen towards Yuri this time.

      “Tsugumi Yurihiko of the same Class 2-A. A fair-skinned pretty boy whose looks are no inferior to any girls’, and prodigy reigning at the number 1 spot result-wise since year one. Family runs a famed traditional Japanese inn, the “Tsugumi Inn”, thus is loaded. The air of maturity around him earns the respect of males and females alike, both student and staff.”

      The look on Taguchi-senpai’s face approached rapture as she fluently recited the information written on her notepad.

      Yep. I mean, our past selves were pretty fearsome to be honest, but this one is rather dangerous in her own right. That’s saying something.

      “And, uh… Ibaraki Maki, same class as the two. Some call her the top beauty in our campus, but the person herself doesn’t seem to care for it, and constantly lunches early at her backmost seat by the window… Test scores below average… and often caught sleeping during lessons… Oh, but her physical abilities and reflexes are a sight to see. In an earlier basketball match, she tore off the basket itself when she went for a dunk shot, causing a school-wide uproar.”

      “……”

      …Is it just me or somehow, only the info on me seems to be skewed.

      “So, anyway. Any girls caught your interest recently? Especially you, Amasake-kun.”

      Ah, I see. So that’s her true aim.

      As expected of Kaoru. Even back when he was Shuten-doji, there was a legend that countless girls died of lovesickness with one look at his handsome face. I see his sinful reputation has not left him even now.

      “That’s a ‘No comment’ from me.”

      “In other words, you’re free at this time?”

      Kaoru glanced at me and said something ambiguous like, “You could say I’m on a contract basis for now.”

      Nonetheless, Taguchi-senpai just noted down on her memo as she repeated “contract basis… contract…”

      “What about you, Tsugumi-kun? Your fanbase is unexpectedly pretty wide, and I hear they’re the ones who’re actually rather gung ho. Not to mention, they consist of both boys AND girls.”

      “…What do mean gung ho?! And BOTH boys and girls?!”

      “What’s the relationship between the three of you to begin with? Being the only girl in the group, which of them are you actually going out with, Ibaraki-san? Please share with me a comment about how it feels like to be waited on by two attractive guys?!”

      In the end, she blasted me with an outrageous question.

      There was only one answer I could possibly give.

      “We’re already beyond the level of going out with who or what-not. I am Kaoru’s wife, and Yuri is like a mom to me by the name of best friend…”

      ““AAAAAAAAAAHH!!””

      However, my voice was drowned out by the screams of Kaoru and Yuri.

      The two of them grabbed me by the arms and made a mad dash for the shoe cupboard as though they were trying to get away from Taguchi-senpai even one second earlier.

      Leaving myself to the forces dragging me, I spared a glance at Taguchi-senpai who was left behind.

      We were trying to go about our lives in as discreet a manner as possible, but I guess we really are prominent, be it for good or bad.

      Those who stood out from the crowd, or were different from the rest always caught the other people’s attention first.

      But then, those “normal” ones eventually comes to fear them, and may even try to chase them away or lock them out, some even going to the extreme of trying to exterminate them.

      “You idiot, don’t go saying crazy stuff like that to her in particular!”

      “Yeah, I’ve heard nothing but bad rumors about our school’s newspaper club.”

      The boys warned me so after releasing me at the shoe cupboards. It seemed they’re especially cautious when it comes to Taguchi-senpai.

      “Still, no matter what we say, humans only listen to whatever they want to hear, and interpret them the way they want to.”

      “…Maki?”

      The tone of my reply must have been different from how I’m like usually as the boys looked at one another.

      That’s why, I laughed and continued on sardonically while changing shoes.

      “Anyway, there’s really no topic quite as interesting to kids this age as love, don’t you think. So long as there’s boys and girls studying in the same building, stuff like who likes who, or who’s going out with who naturally becomes the latest rumors.”

      “Yeah, and things like that were even more heated up during the Heian period.”

      “Oh, I remember. They were really all the rage back then. All those meaningless love songs.”

      Kaoru’s retort was right on the money, and Yuri, being a famous poet back then, was reminded of that graceful time a millenia ago.

      T-That’s right. After all, love gossips were the only source of amusement at that time…

∗ ∗ ∗

      “How many types of meat should we get? For beef, let’s get galbi and sirloin. Oh oh, I wanna eat skirt steak too! Wait, but boned pork rib grilled with salt and pepper sounds amazing too! A-And chicken winglets! Ooh, chicken neck too! You can’t miss that when grilling meat!”

      “Alright alright, it’s okay if we get them all.”

      We were at the meat section of the oft visited supermarket in Asakusa.

      Like a child pestering his mother about how much sweets could he get, I looked towards Yuri for permission on which meat to get.

      “Have you no shame, Maki? People invite you to their house for dinner and you spare none of their expense?”

      “But none of these are the classy stuff, you know? I’m just trying to get more meat by picking chicken and pork.”

      “It’s really quantity over quality for you, isn’t it…”

      “Oh, that reminds me. Gotta get beef tongue too, how could I forget… They’re your favorite, right?”

      “…I-Indeed, beef tongue is a must when it comes to grilling. But, we shouldn’t splurge…”

      “Alright alright, beef tongue for you it shall be.”

      Said Yuri as he took a big pack and placed it into the basket nonchalantly.

      “Tch… typically rich kid.”

      Despite that, both Kaoru and I were bowing down to Yuri before we knew it.

      I give my thanks to our lord benefactor, Yuri-sama.

∗ ∗ ∗

      The Tsugumi Inn, a famed traditional Japanese inn boasting a history of over two hundred years.

      This was Yuri’s home, an inn which could be found along Asakusa Butsudan Street.

      This luxurious Japanese inn​ had welcomed countless famous celebrities thus far who had nothing but praise for their services, and was often feature on the TV as well.

      Especially of note was the new 8-storey annex, whose large bath on the top floor offered a panoramic view of the surroundings and the Skytree.

      However, that wasn’t where we went; our destination was the old inn at the back.

      The old tiled roof building exuded a air of elegance as always, every part from the front gate in evoking the Edo style. It now served as the primary residence of the Tsugumi family, as well as the main office of the inn’s management.

      “It feels so long since we’ve visited.”

      “And we have it all to ourselves too.”

      “What about your little sister?”

      “She went along the trip with my parents, while I’m in charge of house-sitting. …I won’t be alone, of course.”

      Yuri entered from the back entrance and ushered us in. We made our way to the living room, the antiquated wooden flooring sqeaking with our steps.

      The room was recently renovated closer to the western-style, but you could still see the modern Japanese influence here and there in the windows, furnitures and sliding screens. The interior design must have cost a bomb…

      We finished up dinner prep in no time, and the three of us crowded around the iron griddle. The long-awaited grilling party now commences.

      The crackling sound of the meat grilling and that irresistible aroma stirred the appetites of us hungry highschoolers like nothing else.

      And did I forget to mention? The meat grilling right before our eyes was nothing less than Miyazaki beef!

      “Ahh… I can’t believe I’m actually tasting Miyazaki beef! I’m so glad to be alive right now… This meat, just when you thought it’s melting in your mouth, the sweetness of the fat just burst through…”

      Miyazaki beef… one bite alone is enough to make you a prisoner to its taste!

      They don’t call this Japan’s number one wagyu beef for nothing!

      That brilliant red flesh and beautiful marbling. You could even call this raw meat a piece of art! A brief sear is all it takes and when you put that piece of meat into your mouth, the umami renders you speechless!

      Fat so rich and exquisite, yet leaves a clean aftertaste… I’m in heaven!

      “Hey, I was grilling that piece…!”

      “You only have yourself to blame for spacing out. As they say, the top of the griddle is a battlefield. It’s eat or be eaten!”

      “Don’t think I haven’t caught you eating all the meat I’ve been grilling! Some of them are even raw still… Don’t come crying to me when you get a stomachache later! And eat some veg too!”

      “I am eating my vegetables. The grilled onions are sweet and delicious too, and I also like the bell peppers and squash. But nothing beats the sautéd bean sprouts which have soaked up all that delicious meat juice…”

      I picked up a bunch of the sprouts and dipped them in just a bit of sauce before bringing them to my mouth. The slight crunch complements perfectly well after a mouthful of the flavorful meat.

      As if in wait for this moment when I wasn’t looking, Kaoru scooped up a piece of meat with a, “Now!”, and gobbled it along with a spoonful of white rice.

      “When was it that Maki-chan became such a glutton, I wonder. Back at the Fujiwara Clan, you were this frail, beautiful princess… Before I knew it, you had turned into this big eater who could swallow a pig whole, and swings around a bat or an odachi. I don’t know if I should you’ve grown healthily or what…”

      Commented Yuri on my voracious eating style while lining the griddle with a fresh batch of meat.

      Now that he mentioned it, I wasn’t quite sure of it myself. I’ve always had a big appetite as far as I’ve known.

      And my bottomless stomach seemed to have followed me on to this life.

      Kaoru and Yuri too were on the can-really-eat side in fact, considering they’re boys in the growing-up phase, so I think it might’ve to do with those who can use spiritual energy.

      Not to mention, ayakashi fundamentally had a greater need for food, and were gourmet in general.

      Ah, that hit the spot! After we stuffed ourselves on the meat, Yuri further surprised us with an array of select fruit ice cream prepared by his mother.

      “The Tsugumi Inn provides only the highest quality of service,” and with that motto in mind, she purchased them from a renowned fruit parlor located in Ginza.

      The six tiny cups were presented in neat rows in a fancy wooden box, looking extravagant enough to be made for a king. The flavor were vanilla and peach, honey yuzu, strawberry cheesecake, melon, mango and blueberry…

      “Let’s split them by rock paper scissors.”

      Yuri set the box on the table, and we began the match promptly.

      The grand victory belonged to me, and I unhesitatingly chose the vanilla and peach that immediately caught my eye, but not without pumping my fist into the air first.

      The next winner was Yuri who picked the honey yuzu flavor. Lastly, the loser Kaoru chose the melon one.

      “Oh well, they all look equally good to begin with… And don’t they always say, good things come to those who wait.”

      Muttered Kaoru who sounded sore after his utter defeat, but I didn’t let that bother me and got to open my vanilla and peach ice cream.

      The deep-pink ice cream with peach bits formed swirls in the pure white milk base to form a beautiful marbled pattern. When my eyes have finished feasting on its splendor, I popped the whole thing into my mouth. The sensation made my eyes close reflexively.

      “Ahh… so sweet.”

      Sweetness like biting into a fresh, juicy peach flooded my tastebuds, along with a slight tartness that struck the perfect balance, and my face melted into ecstasy. Not to be outdone, the creamy vanilla ice cream gently coated the insides of my mouth and left a mellow aftertaste.

      I could ask for nothing better to finish off our meal of grilled meat.

      Yuri and Kaoru too were enamored by their respective frozen treats.

      “Ice cream… what a miracle this modern times has to offer. Back in the Heian period, the only desserts to speak of were either fruit jellies or karakudamono.”

      “That brings me back… karakudamono, huh.”

      That old dessert jolted our collective nostalgia.

      Karakudamono were a type of fried Chinese pastry served to aristocrats during the Heian period that was introduced by the envoy to Tang China. It was made by frying dough in sesame oil and dressed with a sweet syrup made from rice or wheat flour.

      In the past, it was a treat that was only available to the wealthy. But now, anyone could enjoy all kinds of delicious sweets with an infinite variety to choose from.

      The one thing I can confidently say I’m thankful for to be born again in this era would be the food. Let me say it again… Praise be to the modern people!

∗ ∗ ∗

      After we finished relishing the elegant dessert and cleaned up, we spent the time leisurely playing cards. Time passed in a blink of an eye and it was time to bathe.

      The right to enter the bath first was to be decided by a life-or-death match of President.

      As usual, I was the one to win in this kind of game and the right to bathe first belonged to me.

      “Ahh, this is paradise!”

      The house had a large bathtub made of Japanese cypress wood that went up to the shoulders when filled. Relaxing in it was the ultimate pleasure, and the cypress wood gave off a pleasant fragrance which soothed the mind. The tiny bathroom in my apartment could not even hope to compare.

      After a soaking to my satisfaction, I left the tub and put on the yukata Yuri prepared for me.

      “My, what a cute design.”

      It was an elegant yukata with a red plum blossom design on a white background.

      Yuri once mentioned that they chose yukatas with designs that seemed popular with the female guests so I guess this was one of those.

      “I’m done, who’s next?”

      I returned to the guest room as I dried my hair with the towel, and an immediate reply of, “Finally, it’s my turn,” came from Kaoru, who was chatting with Yuri on and off as they watch the TV and had a tired of waiting look on his face.

      “Kaoru, look at this yukata.”

      What do you think? My eyes seemed to say as I stared at Kaoru, but he only uttered a few words with a straight face.

      “You, make sure you properly dry off your hair.”

      And with that, he eagerly made his way to the bathroom. He really loves his bath after all…

      Meanwhile, I was shaking with moroseness.

      “Cheer up, Maki-chan. It looks really great on you.”

      “Not you too, Yuri. Saying things you don’t mean.”

      “That’s not true at all.”

      “……”

      Haah… I sighed.

      I plopped down on the sofa Kaoru was sitting on before and wiped my hair with the towel. Yuri came right over and took it from me, saying “Here, let me,” and began drying my hair.

      “You’re going to do it for me?”

      “Yup, just relax.”

      Faced with his warmth-filled smile, I felt like a child being entrusted to her mother’s care.

      His hands were extremely gentle, and even though he was just drying my hair, something warm seemed to transfer through my hair and even my back felt toasty. That was surely because of his gentle and transparent spiritual energy.

      Say, Yuri, you lost that match of President on purpose just now, didn’t you?”

      “Not at all. I just got a despairingly bad hand, that’s all.”

      “…Alright, we’ll just say that’s what happened.”

      “But it’s true.”

      He just played dumb. As usual, I can’t tell what he’s thinking.

      “Whatever the case, if only Kaoru could be as gentlemanly as you. That reaction just now. That’s totally uncalled for.”

      “Ahaha. Kaoru-kun’s just too shy to say anything. You know that best, don’t you?”

      “I know, but…”

      “You may not think it seeing how he’s like usually, but Kaoru-kun really can’t do without you, Maki-chan.”

      Yuri said to assuage me.

      “And I’m not just talking about our past lives. Even now, because you’re here by his side, Kaoru-kun can put his mind to various things, all while keeping you in thought. That’s also why he’s working so hard at his part-time jobs.”

      “…Yuri.”

      “There’s no question in my mind, you two make the perfect husband and wife.”

      Although he was smiling, I could somehow sense a loneliness in his eyes.

      I recalled seeing this expression before.

      Just like us, Yuri’s past life was also that of an ayakashi in the Heian period. Like Shuten-doji and Ibaraki-doji, he was a great youkai living in that era, the Nue.

      There were several tales about the ayakashi known as the Nue.

      Some of them depicted the Nue as having the face of a monkey, body of a raccoon dog, limbs of a tiger, and tail of a snake. Depending on the source, they could also be of some other different animal.

      However, the Nue that we knew of was a white and beautiful avian beast-like ayakashi.

      Well-versed in mimicry, he disguised himself as human for a long period of time, and involved himself in the matters of the Imperial Court… That was the Nue.

      He served as a senior court official of the powerful Fujiwara Clan in the Heian Palace.

      From before the time I was born as princess of the Fujiwara Clan with the ability to see the supernatural, he had been there and thus took care of me in all aspects of life.

      That’s why Yuri still feels like a guardian to me even now, and I rely on him for all sorts of matters.

      Over many years, he had supported the balance between humans and ayakashi in the Imperial Court, but was outed by the humans in the end, and exterminated.

      It was clear-cut for me and Kaoru who were completely on the side of the ayakashi. However, in his case, he couldn’t completely let go of either sides… So I can’t help but feel that he must have felt terribly lonely.

      “There, all done, Maki-chan.”

      As I brooded over the past, Yuri had dried my long hair immaculately, and was running a comb through them. I turned around while holding a strand of my hair between my fingers and fumbled with it.

      “You’re a lifesaver, Yuri. There’s no one else but you who could manipulate spiritual power so finely as to replace a hair dryer.”

      “It’s no big deal. There’s not much use to it other than such trivial tasks, and since I was reborn with such a vast reserve, it would’ve gone to waste either way. Maybe I should do it for Kaoru-kun too. It wouldn’t do to have him catch a cold because of that.”

      “I doubt Kaoru would want that, he seems like he’d hate it. Seriously, you’re just like our mom, Yuri.”

      “……”

      At my remark, he looked back at me with blank eyes that resembled that of a dead fish.

      Yep, that probably didn’t sound like a praise.

      “But really… I can’t thank you enough. You and Kaoru are literally my savior in our past lives.”

      “…Maki-chan.”

      “This era is so peaceful and abundant, and there’s countless delicacies to discover. …It’s almost like the pain and suffering of a thousand years ago was nothing but a lie. Still, the times may have changed, but I never stop having worries. Things like exam results and what to do in the future, stuff like that. Not to mention, my daily expenses…”

      “Hehe.”

      The two of us giggled. Then, I turned around to face Yuri straight in the eye, and spoke from my heart.

      “If anything happens, you can count on me being on your side, Yuri. No matter what.”

      Seeing me so serious, he looked slightly bewildered for a moment, but soon smiled back at me gently and nodded.

      “Oh, right. How about I help you dry your hair later after you’re done bathing? It’ll be a breeze with my spiritual power.”

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      “H-Haha, I think I’ll pass. How do I say it, your spiritual power is too fiery, I’m afraid it’d scorch my hair… No, that wouldn’t even be the worst case. If it goes badly, I’d lose all my hair… down to the roots even.”

      “That’s so rude! I was planning on being real careful too.”

      His skin was already pale to begin with, but now his face seemed to turn blue. Did he think my spiritual energy was napalm or something?

      Um, wait, what were we talking about in the first place again…?

      “Haah… I almost got lost in your house again, Yuri. Just how many rooms have you got.”

      Right then, Kaoru returned from his bath.

      “Haha, well, the bathroom is located down the furthest back. It can’t be helped since this house used an inn and was built that way. Sorry, was the corridor too dark? How’s the temperature of the water?”

      “Yeah, no complains there. I wish the bath at my house was so big. The whole place’s big, I mean.”

      “Ahaha. But, it’s rather old and needlessly antiqued, so strange things do tend to show up too…”

      “…Strange things?”

      “Alright, it’s my turn to bathe,” Said Yuri before leaving after giving us a smile and those suggestive words.

      I stared intently at Kaoru’s appearance. “What is it,” he asked as he gulped down a cup of cold water.

      “That yukata… You totally look like the old Shuten-doji, Kaoru.”

      “Huh? Oh… maybe.”

      He looked at his own yukata, then to my kimono, and sat down on the sofa. For a while, the two of us watched the usual drama series on the TV… Out of the blue, Kaoru suddenly mentioned.

      “Hey, Maki… do feel something weird?”

      “Huh, what’s that? Are you saying my yukata looks weird?”

      “What? No… I’m talking about this house. I didn’t feel something like this the other time.”

      At Kaoru’s words, I heightened my sense to search our surroundings for any other presence.

      He’s right… there’s something else here.

      “…It feels like there’s something staring at us.”

      I whipped my head to the side, and glared at the gap between the fusuma.

      The pleasant air around us turned tense instantly.

      At the same time, the presence spying on us promptly withdrew.

      “Hold up!”

      I jumped up and forcefully pulled the sliding door opened to try to capture the escaping something.

      However, there’s was nothing behind the door. Only the long, dark corridor.

      “…Where could it have gone. I swear it was behind here earlier.”

      “Is it an ayakashi?”

      Kaoru walked past me into the corridor and looked around.

      We turned to look at each other, then with a nod, walked down the corridor gingerly.

      *Creak* *Creak*

      The vacant corridor of an old and dark former inn. The unsettling quietness further accented the creepiness of the place. The darkness further down the corridor; the stains on the walls and the ceiling; the creaking of the floorboard. It was precisely such ambience which led humans to make out things like the ayakashi and the paranormal. The frigid air seemed to cling onto the skin like a damp cloth…

      “What should I do if a ghost pops out, Kaoru?”

      “There’s not much difference between a ghost and an ayakashi anyway, what’s there to be afraid of.”

      “They’re totally different, okay! I’m not really comfortable with things my fists can’t touch…”

      “You are what scares me instead, seriously. …Hmm?”

      Kaoru came to a sudden stop. Pricking up my ears, I could hear a strange cooing sounds come from somewhere.

      Hooo… Hooo…

      It was soft but disconcerting. Apparently, it was coming from the above floor.

      As if guided by the cries, we ascended the stairs to the second floor, and came out to the corridor lined with antiquated guest rooms.

      “This is the room.”

      We walked silently without a sound till we came before the room where the creepy sounds was coming from.

      I know it’s rude to go around someone else’s house and enter their rooms without permission, but it’s better than doing nothing if something strange is going on. With that excuse in mind, I stretched my hand out towards the door. Right beside me, Kaoru took a gulp.

      However, before I could open it, a hand clutched my shoulder.

      ““EEEEEKKK!!””

      Kaoru and I both let out mighty shrieks.

      “Wh-Wha-… What’s the matter, you guys?!”

      We turned around to find a boy who just got out of the bath with a look of surprise on his face. Dressed in a white yukata and a indigo-brown haori, he did indeed invoked a sense of ephemerality, but clearly wasn’t a ghost. It was just Yuri.

      “Yuri! Don’t scare us like this!”

      “Huh? I spooked you guys? The two of you??”

      Kaoru and I were clinging onto each other and shivering with goosebumps.

      Looking at us, Yuri burst into laughter as he clutched his stomach.

      “What’re you laughing about.”

      “I feel kinda pissed off somehow.”

      “I mean, it’s funny, isn’t it? In terms of strength, you two are the among the top-class ayakashi ever recorded in history, the Shuten-doji and Ibaraki-doji. Even in the official ranking of historical exorcism difficulty published by the modern Onmyou Bureau, you two oni are up there in the SS-Rank. And yet… *pft* look how scaredy you are… Hahahaha.”

      Now he’s starting to make us feel embarrassed instead, and I unconsciously raised my shaking fist.

      Of course, to those who knew of our past identities as that of great youkai, it may be amusing to see us being so timid. Still, there are times when we could get surprised too.

      “Phew. But I’m sure those behind the door are much, much more afraid than you guys. After all, two big shots have gotten so close to them.”

      Yuri opened the door and slid open the fusuma. To our surprise, several small animal-like ayakashi such as the one-eyed goblin and zashiki-warashi​, as well as some other ones I don’t even know the names of, were tucked into the opposite corner and trembling.

      “How come there’s ayakashi in your house, Yuri? Aren’t these rooms meant for humans to stay?”

      “Nue-sama!”

      The weak-looking ayakashi flocked towards Yuri’s legs.

      He gently stroked their heads while giving a troubled smile.

      “These little ones… they are still weak and lack the power to mimic humans and find work. With no place to call their own in this city, they came to me for help. Since we have lots of empty rooms, I thought it would be alright for them to stay here where they’d be safe, but…”

      Looking around, we saw even more small and weak ayakashi start to gather around this room. They must all be living here in the old inn.

      “…You’re okay with that, Yuri?”

      “Well… there’s only so much I can do. After all, this house is as much my family’s as it is mine. Lately, they’ve been feeling something out-of-place. Especially my little sister…”

      Hooo… Hooo… The creepy cries started again.

      When he heard it, Yuri went to the windowside and opened the sliding door and window.

      The beautiful dark blue skies adorned with a bright moon. Just then, a small white bird flew down to the windowsill. It was a lovely bird ayakashi that gave off a pale white-blue glow like that of the moonlit night.

      “Is that… a thrush?”

      It somehow reminded me of Yuri’s past appearance when I look at the bird.

      “That’s right. This thrush ayakashi has feathers which glows silver, so they call it a tsukitsugumi.”

      “So basically, it’s like the lowest grade of a Nue, huh. Anyway, I didn’t expect it would find its way here.”

      Kaoru observed the tsukitsugumi intently.

      Yuri bent down by the window and extended a finger. The tsukitsugumi hopped onto his finger without hesitation and let out a “Hoo. Hoo.”

      “Is this what you wanted to talk to us about?”

      Kaoru seemed to have figured it out.

      “…Yeah. I’m actually at a bit of a loss. Because of the tsukitsugumi’s cries every night, my little sister who’s a bit sensitive to spiritual energy can’t seem to sleep. The staff retreat today was actually suggested by me to take her away so that she could get some rest…”

      This is just what ayakashi were like. No matter how much they tried to live in secret, they caused trouble to people just by being close. The unearthly atmosphere they give off naturally is poisonous to humans, regardless of whether it was released intentionally or not.

      This holds all the more true for something like the tsukitsugumi’s cries, which were feared by people since ancient times as an omen of disaster.

      For those who knew close to nothing about the ayakashi, hearing a strange cry without an apparent source every night was sure to spook them.

      “I’m really glad these ayakashi came to me for help, but at the same time, I feel conflicted. Right now, I’m already human. And I also have a precious family and their normal lives I wish to protect.”

      “Yeah, that’s only natural. This house belongs to your family. Rather, it’s these little ones who trespassed inside and squatted illegally who are the problem.”

      Said Kaoru as he glared at the lower youkai, sending them trembling in fear.

      This is indeed a pickle.

      This kind of thing happened from time to time, where those ayakashi with no place to go or have some kind of special circumstance come to us former great youkai for assistance. And in the case of Yuri, he was extra kind and empathetic to begin with, so the weak ayakashi adores and loves him. All the more so since he lives in an old Japanese inn with an excess of rooms, oh how convenient it must have been to find them a living space…

      Nonetheless, Yuri was now human. And he constantly hangs in his mouth that family was his number one priority.

      “It’s been around two weeks since this one came to me, I guess. It got lost in this sprawling city despite its young age. By all rights, it should be living in the forest where it can spread its wings freely in the skies and sing its song, nurturing itself on the fresh air and spiritual energy of mother nature… But, now that it’s here, there’s no place it can live.”

      “Indeed. Small animal-like ayakashi may be unsuitable for Asakusa. Then again, we can’t release it back into the forest just like that. There’re some maniacs out there who’d pay a fortune for even a single of its feathers. It’d get captured and sold to the highest bidder in no time. And those underhanded dealers exist on both the humans and ayakashi side.”

      “Yep. That why we can’t return it to the forest until it grows sufficiently to be able to protect itself.”

      Kaoru and Yuri both crossed their arms as they brainstormed for a solution.

      In the human world, there were those who illegally hunted animals for their skins or horns. This is true as well for the ayakshi world.

      In the case of this tiny tsukitsugumi, it’s cute appearance and luminous feathers makes it an attractive pet in the eyes of some humans who could see ayakashi.

      I squinted hard at the little bird on Yuri’s finger.

      “How ‘bout this, Yuri. You can leave this child under my care for the time being. I live alone after all, and the apartment I live in doesn’t have a single human living there due to its desolate state.”

      “…There you go again, sticking your nose in ayakashi business where you don’t belong.”

      I proudly stated my suggestion, and as expected, Kaoru protested.

      “But if there’s anyone who could train this child, it’d be me. I’ll do it until it can at least mimic a person.”

      “I don’t want to hear you grouch if you start losing sleep because of it. That’s an ayakashi that cries throughout the night, you know.”

      “No problemo. I’m rather confident in my ability to sleep through any din…”

      “As usual, you’re a woman without a single lick of elegance.”

      As always, Yuri intervened between us with a, “Alright, alright, let’s stop with the lovers’ spat there.’ But, it can’t be complete without Kaoru arguing back, “We’re not having a lovers’ spat!”

      “Are you sure about that, Maki-chan? I feel bad troubling you.”

      “You don’t have to say a single word more, Yuri. It may be attached to you now, but I’m something of a great youkai myself. I’ll make this darling swear its allegience to me to matter what.”

      “Is it just me or does it sound like your goal has changed?”

      Ignoring Kaoru’s snide remark, I held a finger out and coaxed the tsukitsugumi, “C’mere you.”

      “You need to let Yuri go. You don’t wanna trouble him any further, do you? So come stay with me from tomorrow onwards, okay?”

      The bird twisted its neck to look at Yuri, followed by me. Then it bit my finger and flew away into the night sky.

      “Oww… Where do you think you’re going after biting me!”

      “Hahaha. That must be what they mean by bonding through physical contact. I think it likes you, Maki-chan.”

      As I rubbed the spot where it pecked me, Yuri took my hand.

      His warm spiritual power transmitted from his hand and soothed the pain.

      “…Thank you, Maki-chan.”

      As usual, his smile looked ephemeral.

      He turned his gaze towards the night sky. Bathed in the pale-blue moonlight, his side profile tinged with melancholy looked extraordinarily beautiful.

      A long, long time ago… Back when he was still known as the Nue, I occasionally saw him staring into the moon-hung night sky like this, as if he despaired at the world.

      Hooo… Hooo…

      In the Heian period, it was believed that hearing this unsettling cries signalled the forthcoming disaster.

      Meanwhile, it looked like we’d have to go to sleep hearing the cries of this violent tsukitsugumi.

∗ ∗ ∗

      “Ugh… I just can’t seem to fall asleep.”

      The tsukitsugumi’s cries were part of it, but that wasn’t all.

      Yup, I’m not hearing wrongly. There’s definitely some clacking noise coming from the room next door.

      Kaoru and Yuri were supposed to be sleeping behind that fusuma separating our rooms.

      When I opened a slit to spy, I spotted the two of them playing shogi by the light of a hinotama which called this place home.

      “Aah! How could the two of you play while keeping me in the dark! I knew it!”

      I pushed open the sliding door rather forcefully and protested, but Kaoru and Yuri turned only their heads towards me, their hands still on the pieces.

      “She noticed as I expected…”

      Kaoru seemed to have known that it would turn out like this. He gave out a weary sigh that was signature to him.

      “Didn’t I tell you, Yuri. We should’ve locked her up in a single room.”

      “Y-Yeah.”

      “And you, Maki. How could you enter a boy’s room just like that. Shame on you. Why do you even think we decided to split the rooms like this? Though I must admit, it was too naïve on our part to expect to be able to get a good sleep when we’re just separated by a thin fusuma.”

      “Do you even hear yourself, after I caught you guys playing! Not to mention, aren’t you the one who always says that even if the three of us lay down together, it’d just be group of elderly!”

      “That’s not the problem here.”

      Kaoru flat out declared.

      “It’s totally unfair that you guys are the only one playing and chatting together.”

      “We aren’t chatting. We only talked a bit about the weather since it seems like it might rain later… while playing shogi.”

      “And a bit to do about lifestyle… while playing shogi.”

      “Two boys of your age staying up late secretly and this is what you do. You guys seriously reek of old age. …Oh well, I already knew that you two loved to play shogi and Go since kindergarten… or rather, since our past lives. Go on and play. …But I’m keeping this fusuma open.”

      With that, the two boys turned to look at each other, then continued with their game.

      With the fusuma open, the hinotama flew here and there and I returned to my futon.

      Oh, right. Let’s make that hinotama my bolster. It’ll surely be warm.

      Thinking that, I grabbed the hinotama when it zipped by and stuffed it into my futon and hugged it.

      When he saw that, Kaoru pointed over and said, “Maki just ate the hinotama as a midnight snack!” But I’ll just ignore him. There probably isn’t any other highschool girl using a hinotama as a bolster, but it really is soft and fluffy and warm…

      Just when I was feeling comfortable, the pitter-patter of the rain came, along with the smell of petrichor.

      “Huh, it really started raining.”

      I got out of my futon and rushed into the corridor to shut the windows.

      Yuri and Kaoru too got up and closed the windows further down the corridor.

      “…Hmm?”

      Outside of the window was the courtyard, but…

      A silvery fox was standing right there. Even in the rain, its fur coat still shined brilliantly in the night.

      “That surprised me… Is that a fox spirit? Did it come here looking for Yuri too?”

      I stuck my head out of the window and shouted, “You okay there?” But the fox only stared at me for a while before bolting away without a sound.

      What is it…? It was extremely beautiful, and somehow, it felt kinda familiar.

      I closed the window and returned to the room. Yuri and Kaoru came back shortly.

      “Hey, you two, did you saw a fox also…”

      I was telling them about the fox when just then.

      A flash of light flooded the room, followed by a *boom*.

      The three of us recoiled and held our bodies close.

      “……Huh?”

      Another thunder and lightning. And suddenly, a human silhouette showed up on the sliding door by the corridor.

      When the rumbling died down. The shadow was gone as well…

      “…Did you see it?”

      “Y-Yeah…”

      I gritted my teeth and opened the sliding door with momentum.

      Alas, there was no one there, neither to the left or right of the corridor.

      The darkness at the end of the corridor felt eerie all of a sudden, and I could feel a strange chill emanating from that direction which wasn’t present just now.

      “Could it be a thief?”

      “But there’s not a single beep from the security system… And in the first place, the ayakashi here would’ve let me know of any such intruder.”

      The lingering sense of unease was also felt by Yuri and Kaoru.

      Falling rain in the dead of the night… and the faraway rumbling of thunder…

      “Huh? Did you bring this with you, Maki-chan?”

      “What?”

      Another strange incident occurred.

      Yuri was the first one to notice it. Right by my feet was our “club activity journal”, its pages flipped open to one with the title:

      Why must we ayakashi be exterminated by the humans?

      It was the central conundrum we’ve always held.

      Herein this record of our club activities lay the grievances, regrets, laments and anger we’ve experienced which we still couldn’t find an answer to.

      My eyes slowly went wide.

      “Huh… what, why?! I’m pretty sure I kept this inside the desk drawer!”

      Perplexed, I picked up the journal and held it close to my chest.

      My heart was still racing. What the hell is going on…

      “Did you bring it back with you by accident, Maki…”

      “No, that doesn’t seem to be the case. Maki-chan seems genuinely shocked.”

      Both Kaoru and Yuri were speechless as well. After all, they both witnessed me locking it up inside the desk drawer.

      In that case, who could’ve possibly taken it and placed it here? Was it that silhouette just now…? But, who?

      The three of us looked at one another, question marks on our faces.

      Is there really something in this old building… no, perhaps it’s more accurate to ask was there…

      Afterwards, we went one around the other rooms and questioned the lower ayakashi regarding what we saw, but they didn’t see any suspicious person nor ayakashi…

∗ ∗ ∗

      As a result of the unknown intruder, I ended up spending the night in the same room as Kaoru.

      Yuri was the one who suggested that.

      Also, it was a cunning excuse for him to return to his own room.

      “Maki, hey… your spiritual power is feeling too sharp and prickly and it’s poking me…”

      “Well yeah, I’m like a cat with all its fur standing right now.”

      Tucked in my futon, I was in vigilant mode.

      The chill I felt under my feet earlier was just that strong that it made me so on the edge. In the end, we didn’t manage to figure out what it was…

      “Say, Kaoru.”

      “I’m asleep. And sleeping people don’t talk.”

      I tried to call out to him only to be met by a cold response. And it seemed like he was facing his back towards me too.

      But it’s clear that he’s awake still.

      “That thing just now, from the chills that came from it, do you think it’s a vengeful spirit of some kind…? Kaoru?”

      “Souls which die with lingering attachment become ghosts. It applies to both humans and ayakashi. And those with especially strong regrets or hatred turn into evil spirits. You should know… Haven’t you seen your fair share of such cases.”

      In response to Kaoru’s dry logic, I could only reply weakly, “Sure, I mean…”

      I was still on high alert with half my head peeking out of the futon, but my mind was filled with pensive thoughts.

      Being in a dark room like this brought back memories of my past life when I was still the weak and powerless princess Ibarahime.

      Just because I had eyes which could see the supernatural, I’ve had case where evil spirits tried to take over my body more times than I could count. That was the reason why I remain slightly frightful of ghosts till this day.

      Kaoru mentioned earlier that ghosts and ayakashi were not that different, but I consider ayakashi as something special. The number of times I had been targeted by them may have been as plenty as the stars filling the skies, but at the same time, I was saved by an ayakashi, that’s why…

      “Maki…?”

      Kaoru must have found it weird that I was being so quiet.

      He shuffled to lie on his back and turned his head to face me, and said to me in a whisper.

      “…You looked good.”

      “Huh? What are you talking about?”

      “Your yukata just now… It looks just like the past you.”

      “……”

      Because it was so sudden, I froze still with my mouth wide open.

      But I immediately regained my composure, and reached an arm out to grab Kaoru and shake him around powerfully.

      “Huh, what was that?! Say it again! One more time!”

      “You being scared was just a lie, wasn’t it! Like hell I’d say it again! My lips are zipped as tight as a drum… And stop shaking me like that with your crazy strength! I’ll die!”

      Oh, Kaoru. He’s so bashful…

      I nudged my body along to the end of my futon, and tried appealing to him: “Bring your hand out.” He silently jutted out his right hand as if to say ‘I don’t need this any more, you can have it,’ so I grabbed it tightly.

      “It’s hot… Your hands, it’s always so hot.”

      “Yeah, my body temperature is rather high. That must be my metabolism acting. And Kaoru, your hands are cold as always…”

      For a while, we just held hands in silence. His big, bony hand didn’t squeeze mine back tightly, but I still felt secure just holding them.

      The rain continued to fall for some time before letting up. Look like it’s just a passing night shower.

      The clear moonlight came out from their hiding place and illuminated the sliding door, casting the shadow of its lattice on my white futon.

      Without thinking too deeply, I whispered out loud a doubt that wouldn’t leave my mind.

      “Say, Kaoru. Why is it do you think… that we didn’t stayed on as ghosts, but instead reincarnated into this time period?”

      Kaoru did not say anything. Perhaps it’s because he couldn’t find an answer either.

      Instead, his hand which held mine tightened a bit.

      In the journal by my pillowside recounted all those things we experienced in our past lives…

      Despite dying undeserved deaths and being filled with curses and regrets during the Heian period, the three of us did not turn into vengeful or evil spirits. Although it wouldn’t have been strange at all for it to happen…

      Still, here we are, in the “modern” era, reborn and living as humans.

      “Hooo… Hooo…”

      As silence hung in the room, the tsukitsugumi’s cries resumed sporadically.

      Filled with nothing but questions, I started to get tired.

      It’s useless to think any further at times like this. Plus I’m sleepy. And nothing scares me as long as Kaoru is by my side.

      Tomorrow’s the weekend. I’ll just sleep to my heart’s content and laze in bed.

 

Behind the Scene: President of the Newspaper Club, Taguchi Saki, Sees Something She Shouldn’t Have

 

      My name is Taguchi Saki, a third-year and president of the newspaper club. To the average school population, I’m known as “Taguchi the Hyena”.

      The trio managed to dodge my surprise interview offhandedly just now, but little do they know, the phrase “Give up” does not exist in my dictionary. Come hell or high water, I will produce enough content about them to fill up a page in the campus newsletter for next month!

      None can nor shall anyone stop my ambition!

      That being the case, here I am in search of truth, in front of the empty folklore studies club clubroom.

      “I sure hope there’s some juicy information that the readers are dying to know, preferably the romance related stuff.”

      There’s no one around, so it’s all-I-can-rummage. It went without saying that I safely infiltrated the old art preparation room in the dusk.

      The first thing that strike me was how cramp the room was with all the miscellaneous objects lying here and there, most of them covered in a layer of dust.

      And also… the mystifying list of words written on the whiteboard.

      Why must we ayakashi be exterminated by the humans?

      ~What could we have done that would’ve allowed us to avoid the death ending?~

What if Shuten-doji wasn’t such a Lady-killer ← Huh In the first place, it’s all Nue’s fault for not being able to stop Michinaga ← I get you If only Ibarahime totally destroyed Abe no Seimei ← I see, I don’t get it at all What if Minamoto no Yorimitsu didn’t have Dojikiri ← That’d be a miracle from god What if Minamoto no Yorimitsu wasn’t given Jinbenkidokushu ← That’d be a miracle from god I mean, Minamoto no Yorimitsu was a total pice of shit ← I get you What if Shuten-doji went all out… ← Huh Actually, what if we weren’t ayakashi to begin with? ← Huh Ooh, you mean that impermanence thing ← I get you This too shall pass ← I totally get you In conclusion →→→→ ‘The proud do not endure, they are like a dream on a spring night; the mighty fall at last, they are as dust before the wind.’

      <<<All in all: Wrath of the deities unto to the astray!>>>

      “……Huh?”

      I couldn’t help but utter. After all, it was just so absolutely ridiculous.

      Things like Abe no Seimei, Shuten-doji blah blah blah… there’s what sounds like items. Are they talking about a game or something?

      Frankly, I even feel embarrassed for them reading all this.

      To think this is what those three who have so many fans are doing.

      “I-Is there something else?”

      I don’t want learn about their loony tendency. Just give me something spicy that’d make the readers scream.

      Suddenly, the drawer under the wooden desk caught my eye. I managed to pry it open somehow.

      “…Club activity journal? Whoops… could this be a lucky find?”

      Thinking it’d be something worth reading, I took it out and opened it.

      Why must we ayakashi be exterminated by the humans?

      And was greeted once more by that senseless title…

      What the hell is this even, it makes no sense!

      “N-Nevermind that. Let me just bring this home and study it in detail. I’ll reserve my judgement for after I’m done reading, then I’ll return it here first thing next morning.”

      Anyway, I tucked the journal under my arm and looked through the titles of the books left haphazardly around the shelves.

      “Encyclopedia of Ayakashi”, “The Mysteries of the UMA”, “Crazy Powerful Power Spots and Where to Find Them”. The books and magazine all had dubious titles as such.

      Seriously?! What the heck are they doing in this room?!!

      “……”

      Tic tic tic…

      I don’t know if it’s because I was in an empty room at this late hour, but the sound of the dusty clock on the wall sounded strangely loud.

      “W-Well, I now know that those three are doing some seriously kooky research over here. I still don’t know if it’s just a hobby or if they’re serious about it, but their chuunibyou over the occult is in the terminal stage, it seems… Will anyone even be glad to read about this…? A-Anyway, I just need to report the truth. Now is the time we lifted the veil of secrecy behind those three…”

      Trying to pump myself up, I took out my pen and notepad and narrated to myself.

      Just then, I felt a sharp gaze at my back, and jumped around.

      “…Eh?”

      As I thought, there was someone there.

      But my head started to spin and my vision turned dark.

      I could hear a man’s low voice coming to me from afar.

      …Forget all you’ve just seen.

      In the corner of my blackening vision, I seem to have seen a beautiful, swaying golden tail.

∗ ∗ ∗

      “Senpai. Taguchi-senpai… Wake up!”

      When I opened my eyes, the skies were a light navy blue and I could spot a few stars appearing in the twilight.

      It would appear that I had been dozing off on a bench in the courtyard between the old and new school building.

      And the one shaking me awake was Micchan, aka Aiba Michiru.

      “Senpai, what were you doing sleeping here?”

      “Huhn… Why was it again?”

      “Oh, come on, get a grip! You just ran off saying you were gonna get that surprise interview then you didn’t come back, that’s why I came to find you. Did you get any info on those three?”

      Oh, right. I had snuck into the folklore studies club clubroom, hoping to find something that’d give me a clue into the relationship between those three, romance-related info in particular, but…

      “…Yeah, that. There was nooot a single thing. All I found were dusty easels and brushes. Nothing of note nor any info at all.”

      Wait, was that really the case? I have this feeling I discovered something actually.

      Maybe I’m still half-asleep, that’s why.

      “In that case, it’s all up to me then, since I’m in the same class and all. There’re many events lined up for us second-years after all, such as outdoors school, the cultural festival and the field trip too. I know the newspaper club already covers all the events and their ongoings, as well as a special feature on the couples who come together during those times, but you can count on me to keep chasing after info on those three relentlessly!”

      “Micchan… You’re such a good girl! As expected of my number 1 disciple…”

      As the growth of my junior in the newspaper club brought a tear to my eye, I got up from the bench and stretched, taking a yawn in process.

      That must be it, my mind must still be dreamy. I have no doubts that I went into the clubroom and fished around for juicy materials.

      And there was nothing. Nothing…?

      A gust of cold wind blew past, causing the branches of the weeping sakura that was right in front of the folklore studies clubroom to sway back and forth.

      “…The proud do not endure, they are like a dream on a spring night…”

      For no reason, that phrase came out from my mouth.

      Why the Tale of the Heike? Did I read that somewhere recently…?

      “Sen-pai, it’s almost school closing time. Let’s get back already.”

      Micchan was calling me, so I ran and caught up to her and left the place.

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