It's all started with the request from one youkai. She pleaded and was ready to give all she had. It was impossible to turn her down – that's why consent was given.
Autumn this year was unusually mild and sunny, and only occasionally a pale blue sky assumed a flock of gloomy gray clouds. The wind walked leisurely through the trees' crowns, dragging along the already yellowed leaves. People, like ants before hibernation, hurried through the streets, dressed in light, faded jackets and coats. Nature gradually prepared for the season change.
The end of lessons in the senior classes was marked by a melodic bell chime, and the youth began to collect things hastily. Someone hurried to their club, someone - home, into the arms of a blanket or game console, and someone to work. Asiya Hanae belonged to the latter, but his work can't be called ordinary in any way. In the end, not everyone is arranged to help the master of a fairly powerful youkai, which is a tea room. And although many in his place would have been honored with such a proposal, the young man himself saw it as a help to the needy (although, of course, at first, he sincerely considered it hard labor with a tyrant boss in an attempt to pay outrageous debt). But the more yokai he met and the more requests he did, the more he became convinced that even the otherworldly beings did not lack elementary feelings and emotions, and this gave quite strong associations for an overly emotional boy. Sometimes, it seemed even that those who should hate people and not be like them at all, turned out to be more humane and more honest.
Hanae emerged from the whirlpool of chaotic thoughts and blinked quickly, tearing his eyes from the pale sky outside the window. The palm holding the notebook and halfway to the interior of the bag, resumed its journey and rather casually shoved the remnants of the textbooks inside. The class was almost empty and there were usually those who have club classes. Naturally, Abeno was one of the first to go home (as everyone thought, but in fact he is most likely now in Mononokean and is preparing for the forthcoming work). Quietly sighing and throwing a last glance at the desk of his boss, Ashiya threw the bag on his shoulder and was about to leave the classroom, as a familiar voice made him stop.
"Ashinyan," Fushimi walked slowly, waving his hand gently. "Do you want to go to an exhibition of photos from all over Japan this weekend? It is said that the best from prefectures were selected. "
"Ah... I'm sorry, Fusshi, but I can't." Hanae smiled apologetically, scratching his head with unkept black locks. Refusing to friend wasn't desirable, but they have another request from youkai and most likely it will take the whole weekend to complete it. He still need to finish his homework for the next week. "Go without me, okay? And next time then I'll invite you somewhere?"
"What a pity. Work again, huh?" Fushimi sighed, seeing the affirmative nod of a classmate. "Okay. Then, until next time?"
"Yes. Sorry, Fusshi."
"Come on, I understand," The lips stretched even more strongly in a sincere smile. "Good luck."
"Thank you. Until Monday then!" Waving for goodbye, Hanae quickly stepped out of the classroom and, looking back, went to the stairs. There is nothing to be afraid of being seen, but he was from the club "going home", so his trip to the roof, and not to the lockers with shoes, would look strange. After all he took his shoes with him at lunchtime, casually stuffing them into a bag with a form for P.E. Therefore, it is not fatal, just undesirable.
Quickly passing the span of the passage, Hanae stopped in front of the door to the roof, breathing in slowly and exhaling, trying to recover his breath. Behind this discreet old metal door with a broken lock is a completely different world in a slightly different meaning. Something similar to the portal Abeno summons: not yet the Underworld, but not the Mundane world either. It's like a line when you do not understand whether it's a dream or a reality.
The door opened with a soft creak and a warm wind blew across his face. The sun glowed brightly on a slightly pale sky, occasionally covered by lazily floating clouds. On a flat roof tile, several leaves flown lonely along with the wind, and now they were awkwardly twitching, not having a chance to fly again.
"Oi, Ashiya!" Hanae jerked, sharply shifting his gaze to the right where the wall was, and saw Abeno leaning on it. His head was slightly turned towards him, and his hands were hidden in the sleeves of haori. As expected, he had already changed his clothes and was ready to work. "Stop daydreaming, we have a work to do."
And without further ado, the ever-frowning teenager disappeared behind the door in the wall, leaving it open. Quickly pulling off the school shoes and shoving them into the bag, Ashiya followed his superior inside. With a slight movement of his hand, he closed the small door, and turned in the direction of the scroll hanging on the opposite wall and the fluffy youkai sitting next to it. He frowned his eyes in a smile and actively waved his three tails, just about ready to run and greet his friend. The bell hanging from the ceiling chimed, and the next second a parchment rustled the non-existent pen, gently removing the hieroglyphs. The non-existed pen rustled on a parchment, accurately drawing on it.
"Hello, Hanae! ヾ(* '' *)"
"Hello, Mononokean! Hello, Fuzzy!" The smile crawled over his lips. Leaving the bag next to the entrance, he climbed deeper in room, settling directly in front of the scroll. Raising his hands in an inviting gesture, he waited for the snow-white youkai to slowly climb onto his knees and settle himself comfortably. The master of Mononokean, in turn, sat quietly by the wall, covering his eyes and listening to a one-sided conversation only with the edge of his ear.
"By the way..."
Letters slowly appeared and didn't hurry to disappear. Ashiya looked interestedly at the words, gently stroking the happy Fuzzy. They blinked with pleasure, and the tails were still moving, tickling the young man's fingers with their fur. A minute passed before the calligraphic hiragana disappeared, leaving behind a white canvas again. The black-haired head leaned to shoulder in a pensively-surprised gesture.
"Mononokean?"
"Oh-oh-oh, silly me! Sorry, I was thinking. (ノω ·,)
By the way, we have a guest."
Abeno slowly got up from his seat, gesturing to Ashiya to open the door. Fuzzy jumped down from his knees and slowly moved closer to the scroll, while Hanae headed for the entrance. The door opened with a soft rustle and a heap of black, tangled hair appeared in the opening that covered the guest's face.
"Good afternoon" already by habit, the smile stretched out on his lips again, and he walked away to allow the client to enter. A small pale body, slightly smaller than a child of five, wrapped in an old shabby kimono, crawled inside. Yokai nodded slowly to Mononokean's employee, expressing her gratitude.
"Good afternoon, Michie-dono." The blonde bowed, greeting her, and inviting her to sit on the pillow. Nodding in response, the miniature youkai sat, folding hands on her knees. "What's your request?"
"I've heard a lot about you and your employees," She said quietly, but her soft voice sounded so child-alike. However, there was raid of time and life experience, which once again reminded them that before them is a creature that lived much longer than Ashiya and Abeno combined. "That's why I decided to contact you. You are my last hope, therefore, please, fulfill my request!"
Michie, brought to an extreme degree of despair, respectfully leaned toward the floor, touching it with her forehead. The palms facing forward and part of the tatami and the face were hidden behind the disobedient waterfall of resin strands. The compressed fists were shaking, and the back was strained to the limit. It seemed that even a little bit, and this delicate figure would crack in half and fall apart crisply fragments throughout the room. Hanae watched worriedly from his seat behind the guest, feeling how desperate she was. Haruitsuki only blinked in surprise, immediately regaining control over his emotions.
"Michie-dono, please get up. This posture is not suitable for young lady with your status." The voice of the master of the Mononokean was calm, and after a couple of seconds the interlocutor unhurriedly straightened herself, returning to her former position. Hair, troubled by such a sharp movement, just drove off, showing the same white face with red eyes painted the color of dark wine. Two coal-drawn ovals, which flaunted on the place of once shaved eyebrows, bent in some kind of sorrow, not the sadness, not the surprise.
"Do you agree?.." Her voice trembled, it seemed, a little more, and she burst into tears right here. Abeno nodded without changing his face.
"Michie-dono, please, first, tell us exactly what your request is."
She hesitated, lowering her gaze to the hands resting on her knees. Hanae viewed the client with curiosity, noting that the red kimono in which she was dressed was embroidered with gold threads that retained their radiance even after so many years. Even more surprising was the fact that she wore shabby hakama of dirty-gray color - as far as he remembered from the lessons of history, such a wardrobe was typical for the lady of a noble family that existed several centuries ago. Was she really that old?.. Nevertheless, after a brief silence, she threw her head confidently, because of which the waterfall of her hair flew into the air and slightly slapped her on the face. The corners of her lips were lowered, but her eyes were burning with firm determination, and her brows frowned.
"I live in an old mansion in the forest. There are very few people hanging out because of bad reputation and periodically disappearing people." She sighed, preparing to continue her story. Abeno only listened to her words in silence, not hurrying her. "I and my friends are not involved here - we only live peacefully in this mansion and don't touch anyone. However, the youkai recently appeared, which doesn't give us peace - and people who wander into the forest, too - he wanders between trees and indiscriminately pulls everyone who gets to him along the way."
The black-haired boy only shrugged his shoulders from such details and the idea of what they would have to deal with. Some unknown youkai, sparing no one - neither his own, nor strangers. And why such a creature remains in this world? It is possible that he just couldn't leave it, or didn't, because at such aggressive behavior it's quite obvious that he's not here by his will. How Hanae remembered from the stories of Legislator and Abeno, the last hundred years youkai left people alone, because the art of exile and sealing sunk into oblivion - when the World War showed up, people have forgotten about supernatural things and beings who lived with them side by side. And many youkai chose to leave the Mundane world in the early years, not wanting participate, much less watch this disgrace. Therefore, already now it becomes clear that they will have to go with him to negotiate and offer him transportation services.
"He's been terrorizing us for a year already," She continued, her voice trembling dangerously. Fingers, nervously tearing the worn and faded fabric, clenched into fists, and, despite the absolute pallor of her skin, the knuckles became even lighter as far as it was generally possible. "We lost half ours, and we do not practically leave the mansion, only at noon. We try not to walk one by one, but it rarely helps. Recently, he began to go into the territory of the house and walk in the courtyard, occasionally scraping at the door!"
In the last words, she broke into a choked squeak and covered her tear-stained face with wide sleeves. Hanae wanted to come and comfort her, but the blond with one glance stopped him: "Don't you dare," said the eyes of the molten gold. "She will not understand your sympathy." And indeed, after all, she was brought up in the traditions of Ancient Japan, where a man had no right to touch a lady, if they were not married.
"You suggest we go with you and try to send him to the Underworld, I'm right, Michie-dono?" after a long pause Abeno said and never looked away from the guest. Having received an affirmative nod, he fell silent again. In the stiff silence, the bell chimed softly, drawing the attention on the wall.
"Itsuki? |･ω･)"
"I don't understand if the youkai of this type is in our jurisdiction." The master of the Mononokean began leisurely, pulling his hands out of the sleeves of haori. Only now, looking at the frowning blond eyebrows and the fingers that closed on the bridge of his nose, Ashiya realized that his boss had not rested well after the summoning portal twice yesterday, and on top of this added worry, which is not peculiar to the always calm young man. "As far as I understand from the story of Michie-dono, he is quite aggressive, once he attacks both his and others. Whether it will be possible to speak with him, or he will drag us back and it is not clear what will happen after this. Should I inform Legislator about this?"
From the corner of his eye, Hanae noticed how the client jerked. Her tiny body was shaking violently, as if she was chilling, and her shoulders were lowered in a mute disappointment. He did not see her face from this angle, but she probably bit her lips and swallowed tears, thinking that Abeno was refusing her request. Before the ink kanji was able to reappear on an empty scroll as an answer, Michie gave a voice:
"P-please... Please help us! I left my friends all alone, even if it's a daytime! Delay can cost them their lives, please!"
The further she spoke, the faster and more incoherently her speech became. Requests one after another drowned in tears, and she slowly slid to the floor in the next bow. Only quiet, muffled sobs spread through the room.
"Itsuki, if everything is really so serious, then you must go. In the end, if things go wrong, you can use Influence."
"And yet it's risky, Mononokean." The blond frowned even farther. "Especially what will Ashiya do? He still couldn't control his Influence yet, and Hairball will follow us anyway."
"Ashiya-sama can look after my younger friends in the mansion and make sure that everything is intact. I can go with you, Abeno-sama, and provide you with support in case of extreme danger." interposed into the conversation Michie already straightened her back and was leisurely wiping her tears with her sleeve. It's amazing how quickly her mood changes: a couple of seconds ago she quietly burst into tears, and now she already offers a plan. Amazing creatures, these ancient youkai. "And, as far as I know, Mononokean-sama can appear if you call them. Is it possible to take refuge within you if everything goes very badly?.."
The last phrase was clearly addressed to the Mononokean itself, and after a brief pause the words hurriedly appeared:
"Of course, Michie-sama. I will gladly assist. (* ' `*)"
From the kaomoji at the end of the sentence, the youkai giggled softly, hiding the smile behind the same long scarlet sleeve. Ashiya sighed softly and looked at the smiling Fuzzy and troubled Abeno. It seems to be an ordinary job, but complicated by a youkai, it's not known what is of himself. Hanae honestly wanted to laugh, remembering the numerous plots of horror plots, starting with some eerie incident, the investigation of which fallen on main character and they get themselves into living nightmare. But here was reality, and there fiction. Laugh died inside his throat. Abeno's voice broke his unhappy thoughts about possibilities.
"Allright. We agree to fulfill your request." He rose from the floor, not looking away from the girl. "Please, name the address or location, and Mononokean will take us there."
"I beg your pardon, Abeno-sama, but that's impossible." The blond man arched an eyebrow in surprise, and Mononokean himself pictured a surprised kaomoji. Michie hurried to explain the reason. "This mansion doesn't have an address and exact location as such, which will make arriving exactly in the mansion inconvenient. As I said, Abeno-sama can summon you, Mononokean-sama, inside the mansion itself, but the journey inside you is dangerous. If we miss, then there is a great chance to stumble upon this youkai, and even you can't do anything."
"Why?" Σ (° ロ°) I only can't enter into is the closed spaces created by the powerful youkai or one of the Three Branches of the Power of the Underworld."
"Exactly, Mononokean-sama," she sighed, rising from her seat and looking at the scroll. Red eye, not hidden by a curtain of hair, slowly closed. "By "pulling" it was meant that he literally drags the unfortunate into his closed space, and it is not known what exactly is happening there. At least still no one came back from there..."
There was an awkward silence. Fuzzy, feeling the tension, that hung in the air, quietly moved to Ashiya's knees and as much as possible squeezed into other's body. Hanae himself soothingly stroked the snow-white youkai, anxiously looking at his boss. He stood, unchanged in his face and looking somewhere through the scroll hanging on the wall. The final decision was still for Ituki.
"Ashiya," Gaze of golden eyes slowly passed on to a quietly sitting employee. The named employee slightly jerked, emerging from the whirlpool of thoughts and looking up at Abeno. "If you don't want to, you stay here. You, Hairball, too."
"No," the answer flew from his lips before he could notice it. He saw the blonde's eyes widen in a quiet surprise, and his thin brows rose. Legs after a long sitting were sore, but Hanae still stubbornly stood up straight, confidently looking into the golden eyes of his boss. "I'm coming with you, Abeno-san. Right, Fuzzy?"
He, in turn, actively nodded and even grabbed his paws in the hem of a pale peach kimono, expressing his consent. Michie only watched this picture silently, hiding a smile in her sleeve.
"Then, gentlemen," She turned to the door, adjusting the haori that had just slipped away. "It's time to show you the way."