Chapter 275: Two Hundred And Thirteen

It was early Monday morning when we returned to the Material, all of our tasks in the Boundary and at what was left of the mansion now completed. The sobbing maids had still been protesting as they were tied up and taken away by Ulfuric and some of the weaselkin, begging Shaeula to protect them, but as she merely looked on, eyes watery, I held her hand, reassuring her everything would be all right.

There’s no way I can forgive them for what they did, betraying Shaeula and her trust like that. Even if they weren’t involved in the plot to kill her, I still can’t forgive them. I don’t know what fate they’ll face when her father gets his hands on them, but I doubt it’ll be pretty.  Ulfuric was going to have to be quite careful with what he said to Prince Shaetanao, but if anyone could handle matters it was him. Besides, if there were other traitors embedded within the weaselkin servants, this was an opportunity to find them. I was sure the prince would spare no efforts in making them talk.

Yawning, I opened my eyes, stretching muscles left stiff and sore by my long stay in the Astral, the longest single trip I had taken yet. Shaeula woke beside me too, still looking downcast, so I ruffled her hair messily, conveying my affection once more. “Cheer up. I know it hurts, but you have me now. And all your other friends here. One of whom really needs our help right now, so you have no time to mope. Just let me spoil you. I’ll do whatever it takes until you can smile without sadness again.”

“Oh, Akio.” She sighed, embracing me and pulling me back down onto the bed. “I must have been born to meet you, for you always-always know just what to say to comfort me.” Our lips sought each other greedily, and I reached out for the obi belt of her yukata and tugged it free, exposing her flushed body. There’s still time until morning, we can’t do much now, anyway… So with that last thought I gave myself over to passion, seeking to overwrite the sadness in her heart with warmth…

 

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“I love you too. Bye.” I said, hanging up my early-morning call with Aiko and Eri. “It worked.” I said to Shaeula. “Aiko can get a little stronger, at least, and she’s going to try for light and fire elements. I don’t know if she’ll succeed, but I’d feel more reassured if she had those to fall back on.” I’ve glossed over just how I’m powering up Aiko, I don’t want to tell Shaeula it’s via Lovers’ Link or she’ll mock me endlessly, but I think she knows…

“Yes, I suppose if she fails, we can simply-simply reclaim the mirror from Eri and refill it, though having Eri practise her darkness element is a worthy cause too.”

Shaeula was looking a little brighter after our lovemaking, so I made us both a pleasant breakfast, more western-style than normal, with eggs, cuts of meat and fried toast, as well as sweet pancakes. Like something mom would make to cheer up Aiko and me when we were feeling down as kids. Shaeula enjoyed it, which made the extra effort worthwhile, and while she was cleaning up the dishes, I made a call to the next person I needed to speak to.

“Good morning to you, Akio!” Hinata greeted me brightly. “This is a pleasant surprise, to have you call me in the morning. I trust you received our messages then?”

“Yeah. Thanks for taking charge of the situation, I really appreciate it. Shaeula’s having a tough time right now, so if her friend was to come to harm too, it’d be bad.”

“Think nothing of it.” Hinata said, and I could hear the pride and joy in her voice. “A good wife is always thinking of how to support her husband, on that the nobility and Shaeula both agree. So, is she all right?” she asked, and I reassured her she was well.

“Yeah, she’ll get through it. We’re here for her. But wounds to the heart from betrayal are often worse than physical injuries. We’ve healed those up already. We also lost a gift from her brother, which stings.”

“I see. You’ll have to tell me more about it later.” Hinata said. “Please pass on my sympathies. Was there anything else you wanted? Not that you need a reason to call me, of course. We are engaged, officially now, the news is out!”

And so my fate is sealed. But… right now it doesn’t seem so bad. She’s cute and cheerful, and Shaeula is right about one thing. If I saw her married off to a man that didn’t treat her right just because of the nobility, I’d feel rotten. I’m such a greedy bastard… “Well, there’s a lot to organise, and my parents are pretty mad, so… well, that’s for later.” Yeah, Konoe-san, the Myconids, Sorting out our Territory and rooting out traitors all come first. “I wanted to thank you for looking into that land for me. Is… is it expensive?”

“Some of it was almost free, as we listened to your description of how your power works and managed to call in a few favours with local politicians to get a token ownership deal. As for the last one… well it wasn’t cheap, but supporting you with money is the least I can do, and grandfather contributed significantly. He told me to tell you he wants to see return on that investment though!” She laughed merrily.

“No problem. Speaking of, will you be at the training school tonight?” I asked, and she said she would be, so I continued. “Great. Well, this is a bit hard to say, but… if you can handle a bit of pain, I believe tonight we can perfect your chakra network like we did for Kana. It’ll still require you to work hard to grow it, but I think the boost should be well worth it.”

“I’m not keen on pain, but…” she sighed, resolute. “… I do not wish to have Kana lording it over me any longer. After all, she isn’t one of your fiancées. I’ll do it. Kazumi too. If I am entering that world alongside you, Kazumi must be there beside me.”

“Yeah, I think we can manage two.” I grinned. “Assuming we finished up our troublesome little problem of course. Oh, by the way… this invitation to Fujiwara Miyu’s house at the weekend. That’s a big deal, right?”

“It is indeed. I do need to find out more details, such as the dress code, who is attending, what gifts to bring, many important matters. But I’ll handle that, you just worry about your own problems. I am not a girl who makes trouble for her husband.” I imagined her smiling. “Even so, I’m nervous. I’ve been to visit Mayumi many times, and Sakura is my cousin, but Miyu-sama is very quiet and keeps to herself. Still, she’s the oldest daughter of Fujiwara house, even if she is behind the line of succession to Honoka-sama. I can’t help but be nervous and wonder what she wants.” Her voice wavered, before she shrugged it off, her natural cheerfulness coming back. “In any case, it could open doors for you. Being known to have been invited by Miyu-sama will make the nobility more conscious of you and perhaps even win a little respect.”

“Well, I’ll be relying on you to stop me from screwing up my high-society debut. As my fiancée.” I finally said it out loud, and there was a long moment of silence, before she shyly asked me what was on her mind.

“So, you accept me? I was worried that you thought we were too forceful, and you only agreed to spare my feelings. I can live with a marriage of convenience, the noble way, where we are merely useful to each other, but… having met Shaeula, and Eri, and seeing what they have, I want love too. If I can.” Her voice was tense, her breathing fast, as she waited for my answer. There was no way I could lie.

Considering how clever and brash she is, I forget she’s a young girl, younger than Eri. She must be nervous and insecure too. I need to be the mature adult here. Besides… “Well, I’m not going to lie, you did push me into it. It was sudden and shocking, and I still have this feeling of inadequacy inside me that makes me wonder why me? But you are a kind, smart girl, and Shaeula and Eri say they’ll accept you, so I can too. I’m not going to say something again like ‘if you find someone else you can…’”

“Good, don’t.” she interrupted me. “I told you. I’ve made my choice.”

“Yeah, I get that. Well I’ve made mine too. No matter how it started, how we were pushed together, if you are going to give it your all to love me, to get along with Shaeula, Eri, my sister and family, well, I can do no less than return the favour, and if anyone asks me, I’ll tell them proudly that I bagged Fukumoto Hinata, the girl who is going to shake the very nobility itself!” This time I’m not going with the flow. It’s not how things start, but how they end, and I want this ending to be a happy one.

“I’m glad.” She whispered, and I could hear her sniffling gently, so I gave her a minute to recover. “Good, good. Now that you’ve realised my worth, there was one more thing.” She hesitated. “I hope I haven’t overstepped my bounds, but as I said before, I want to use all my knowledge and talent for you. So I tied up all the participants in your training with proper contracts, making sure they can’t cheat you. Oh, and I’ve done the same with your staff. You’ll need to have a talk with them, bring them up to speed, but Karen-san at least is worth keeping, I think.”

“I see.” Yeah, I had planned to tell Karen-chan about this and offer her training too, once she was settled and had got over her last employer and his vile harassment. As for the possibility of me being betrayed or cheated by those I’m training, Shaeula’s servants prove that isn’t impossible. No, it could even be likely.

“Are you angry?” she asked quietly, and I realised I had gone silent, thinking.

“No, I’m not. I was just remembering the events Shaeula has just endured. I think you were wise. I expect your grandfather has been helping you with that?”

“Of course.” she laughed, relieved, and we made some more small-talk, before it was time for her to leave for her own school. After a surprisingly charming farewell, her feelings plain, I once more shook my head wryly. I’m not sure how I earned the affection of these great girls, but I’d be a monster to trample on their feelings now. “All right then. Konoe-san is staying in that room, huh. Shaeula, it’s time. Are you ready?” I called, and she appeared, face set sternly, ready to take her anger out on those harassing her friend. I fired off a text to the Detective, and with that we headed for Konoe-san’s room.

 

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“There’s a strange man here saying he works for you and Shaeula?” Karen-chan was saying, my phone having started ringing before I could reach my destination. “Raethe-san… err, all right, all right. Sorry, he says to call him Ixitt, a weird name. Even stranger than Shaeula. Anyway, Ixitt-san is asking for access to a computer and all our documents, but he seems rather odd. I worry he might be dangerous.” She whispered. “And I don’t like the way he’s eyeing me!”

Dangerous? Not in the way you are thinking. “He’s probably just marvelling at your mobile phone. He’s a tech junkie, but… shit, it’s too hard to explain over the phone. Get him some printouts on how to use the internet and our PC, then just let him do his thing for a bit. Once I’ve spoken to Konoe-san I’ll come over and make sure he doesn’t cause you any problems. Oh, and Karen-chan?”

“Yes?”

“We need to have a talk ourselves. I know Hinata has spoken to you. I didn’t mean to keep things from you, I was waiting until the right time. I promise.”

“I know. You aren’t like my last boss… hey, put that down! Akio-kun says I can sort you out in a minute! Damn, he’s annoying. Anyway, Akio-kun, you had better bring us some of the good booze for this talk, right?”

“You know it.” I laughed, and before hanging up I asked her to do one more task for me, which Ixitt would likely enjoy as well.

“Right, I forgot about Ixitt. Considering my memory is so good I have a bad habit of putting stuff out of my mind. I guess you took priority.”

Shaeula smiled at that, taking my hand. “I would hope so. But thank you, Akio. I do greatly appreciate your love-love. When you need me, I shall likewise be there for you!”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.” We stopped outside the door to the room Konoe-san was using. “You ready?” I asked, before knocking on it gently. A few moments later the door opened slightly to reveal a rather ragged-looking Konoe-san. She had bags under her eyes and her skin was pale and greasy, as if she had barely slept. On seeing us she sighed in relief. “Oshiro-san, Shaeula. Thank the gods you are here.” She muttered, and would have collapsed if Shaeula hadn’t reached out a hand to steady her.

“Can we come in?” I asked, and she nodded. “Great. I’d like to hear everything that has happened while we were gone. So I can work out how to crush these bastards, root and branch.”

“Indeed.” Shaeula said, releasing my hand and helping Konoe-san over to the bed, sitting her down. “These fools will learn just what-what it means to trifle with our friends. Though they will not-not have long to regret the lesson…”

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“So, just to be clear.” Detective Kato was saying. He and his assistant, Officer Usui, had turned up at my request shortly after we entered Konoe-san’s room, and while she had ben nervous at first, Shaeula and I reassured her that everything would be fine, that involving the police would allow us to resolve everything all at once. “These artworks you purchased, they gave you nothing in writing to state categorically they were of the value they stated?”

Konoe-san shook her head sadly. “No, we just talked about it. They had a portfolio, of course, and they said I was going to get a copy for my records, but they never gave me it in the end.”

“And you didn’t find this suspect?” Officer Usui said harshly, shaking her head. At her stern tone Konoe-san teared up, and Shaeula growled, causing Officer Usui to go pale, waving her hands in apology. “Sorry, sorry! I know these things can be tough. Just… without the written proof of what they sold you, it’s going to be near impossible to prove fraudulent selling.”

“But this portfolio exists, does it not-not?” Shaeula smiled, though there was no humour in it. “If you tell me which females are involved, I can secure a copy.”

“No, you can’t use any sort of coercion or strange powers.” The Detective warned. “I’m grateful you saved my life, and I agree with your long-term goals of having the police able to enforce exotic crimes, but if you use those, you are as bad as the criminals.”

“Exotic powers? Saved your life?” Konoe-san said, puzzled, and the Detective winced, realising he had overstepped.

“It does not-not matter, Ichika.” Shaeula patted her shoulder gently, reassuring her. “Simply know that Akio and I will resolve your issues. You are my friend, I will not-not stand for such mistreatment!”

At her bold words, Konoe-san hung her head, before she started crying, long heaving sobs that shook her body. Seeing that, Shaeula pulled her friend into a hug, while Detective Kato, Officer Usui and I stepped back. “I think you are wrong.” I said, and he raised an eyebrow.

“How so? It’s only natural to do things fairly, else there is no law.”

“I get powers shouldn’t be abused, but consider this. Should CCTV or DNA evidence be dismissed, simply because it’s new? The world changes, and we have to change with it. I agree we shouldn’t use things like Shaeula’s befuddling winds to force confessions or twist people to do our bidding.” It was bad enough using it on her maids. “After all, with such powers at our disposal, it would be all too easy to create false testimonies and create serious miscarriages of justice. But we need them, if only to counter those that will misuse such powers. I don’t know how many will, but it could already be happening all across Japan, no, the world.” I shuddered at the thought of someone evil with mind-control powers. That would be the worst-case scenario. “I think this case will be good for you. You can see with your own eyes how power can be used responsibly, and why we will need it in the future.”

“I think he’s right.” Officer Usui said suddenly, surprising me. “Simply using it to reveal where evidence is hidden would be a legitimate use of it to my mind. Though it might fall afoul of the laws on coercive behaviour. It’s hard to know. But yes, as the world changes, laws need to change with them. There’s no universal law, you taught me that. Though justice is unchanging.” She frowned. “Look at the poor girl. Fraud, loansharking, blackmail. All these crimes are routinely ignored by the police, as they are considered the fault of the victim.” Shaeula was still comforting her friend, and it made me very angry, seeing her suffer so. After all, I was weak to the tears of girls, although this time that was the sensible, human response. “I think it would be good to send a message. That the Tokyo Police Force won’t stand idly by and let scum prey on the vulnerable.”

Detective Kato nodded slowly. “Very well. I’ll keep hands-off as much as I can when it comes to your choices. But if you intend for me to support you in dealing with supernatural crimes, you have to show me I can work with you. My gratitude will only carry you so far, if you become criminals yourselves.”

I nodded, and we discussed a few more details of the plan, until Shaeula had finally calmed down Konoe-san. “I… thank you.” She sniffled, eyes and nose red from crying. “I just don’t get why you are helping me so much. I took money from you when we barely know each other. I’m not a good friend at all!”

Shaeula stiffened, annoyance flashing in her amber eyes. “What does-does the length of time we have spent together matter?” She was angry, and Konoe-san flinched back. “If I say you are my friend, then you are-are my friend! And I would not-not forsake any friend of mine! Barely know each other…” she growled. “The length of time I have spent with Akio is but a fraction of our entire lives, yet I love him deeply and shall never part from him. Length of time means-means nothing! It is the bonds, the emotions, that matter!”

Officer Usui let out a long whistle, face red, and Detective Kato barked a laugh. “That’s one hell of a brag there. You must be ever so happy she thinks so highly of you.”

“Oh I am. And I don’t disagree. Shaeula’s been starved of friendship most of her life, and those she thought were… turned out to be bad people. She understands what it is to be tricked, so she is more eager than ever to solve this.”

“Akio is right. I too-too have been betrayed by those close to me. I would not-not allow you to suffer as I have!”

“But…” Konoe-san looked at me then. “You say you love him? What about the other woman?”

Yeah, that’s a normal reaction. I’ve almost forgotten those, the strange circles I’ve been moving in recently. Before I could answer, Shaeula shrugged. “Other female? You mean Eri, or Hinata?”

“How can you trust him, when he’s cheating on you! He might be as bad as those…” a loud clap rang out, and Konoe-san found herself clutching her reddening cheek. Shaeula had not struck her hard, but even so, she teared up.

“How dare-dare you compare my Akio to thieving scum that would force females into selling themselves. Eri is as a sister to me, and Hinata is not-not a bad girl. Far better to have some of the love of the greatest of males, rather than be lonely, bitterly regretting. Akio has never-never let me down, and he will not-not start now. I will not-not hear this, even from you!”

“All right, calm down ladies. We are straying from the point.” Detective Kato took charge, probably well used to domestic disputes. “You shouldn’t hit a woman.” He warned Shaeula, and she scoffed.

“I barely touched Ichika, it was merely-merely gentle chastisement. But some things can not-not be laughed off.”

“I’m sorry.” Konoe-san whispered. “I… I just feel so angry right now, angry and scared. It’s men who put me in this situation. I haven’t forgotten how you saved me from those thugs. Twice. And I am grateful, but… I’m lost. I don’t know what to do!”

At the murmurs of “I knew it!” from the Detective at mention of the thugs, that reminded me. “Yeah, those thugs? Were they part of the gang that is blackmailing and extorting you?”  I asked, and she shook her head.

“Not really, though I think they might have been put on to scare me a bit. Either that or I’m really unlucky.” She sniffled, still rubbing at her cheek.

“I see. So they may have other connections.” I mused. “Well, lending money at more than twenty-nine percent is a crime right? Without written contracts it might be difficult to prove, but bank statements listing payments in and out should be indicative, and they probably have legitimate account books somewhere. Running prostitution is definitely a crime, when the girls are coerced.”

“Yes, but proving all this is the hard part.” Officer Usui chimed in. “I’d love to take these scum down, who knows how many other women they’ve ensnared, but it won’t be easy.”

“Well, this is where we work together.” I grinned. “Look, recordings are submissible evidence in Japan, right? Well, I got Karen-chan to send someone down to Akihabara to pick up a load of hidden cameras and microphones. It may be an anime mecca there now, but there are still some great tech shops if you know where to look.” Ixitt was probably a pain, but he knows better than to cause me trouble if he wants to come back here. “We can use those, and a bit of gentle work from Shaeula, and gather all the evidence we need.”

“It might be dangerous.” Konoe-san warned. “They… they are scary men. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“Nonsense.” Shaeula scoffed. “Akio and I, hurt by some mere thugs? I am almost-almost offended.”

“Yes, I don’t think you need to worry about that.” Detective Kato said, a wry smile on his face as he remembered the battle at the shrine. “Unless they bring a tank, he’ll be fine. The girl too. Even if they have that sort of firepower, I’m still not sure it’d be enough.”

“Don’t remind me.” Officer Usui shuddered. “The pair of them are monsters.”

“Yes, but we are good monsters!” I protested. Still, I projected confidence to Konoe-san, reassuring her. “Just leave it to us and we’ll handle it. I don’t know if we can get back your money, but we can at least leave you free from this burden. So, here’s the plan…”

As I outlined the audacious plan, Konoe-san looked at me, first with an expression of worry, then shock, then puzzlement, and last, a slight sense of hope. Shaeula is right. It doesn’t matter how long you know someone, it’s what you’ve shared, how you feel. Thinking about it that way, I really don’t feel too bad about Hinata anymore. I had made up my mind before, but now I actually feel good about it. I remembered her smile, alternating between shy and prideful, her eyes gleaming as she talked about her dreams and hopes for the future. I want to be there when she finally creates the world she wants to see. I think it’ll be a wonderful one. After all, the girls in the nobility are trapped too. I wouldn’t dare be so crass as to compare it to the horrible cruelty the other girls who were tricked like Konoe-san are subjected to, but the whole system doesn’t sit right with me. And if I have power… I don’t have to let things that upset me slide anymore, do I?

“I can do that. It shall be my pleasure.” Shaeula grinned wolfishly. “I should very much like to meet-meet these women who betrayed you!” She told Konoe-san, who nodded slowly. As Konoe-san opened up her phone and typed a message to one of the women that had initially sold her the worthless art, I considered something else.

Hyacinth. What to do about her. I know Shaeula made her that promise, but I’m not going to follow through on that just because Shaeula asked me to. After Hinata, I resolved myself to be stronger. But… I definitely feel bad for her, and she’s pretty endearing, in a crazy pervert sort of way. Oh well, it isn’t a decision I need to make now. But I’m definitely going to give it some thought…

No, now was the time to deal with this mess. Clenching my fist, I resolved to take out my confusion on the bastards that were hurting women here. it was good not to have to think difficult thoughts, to have a clear path of right and wrong before me. And if all goes well, I’ll take the first step in showing the police how crime needs to be handled under the new world that’s coming…

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