The next morning Ginko was woken by a rattling from his case. Dawn was only just breaking and he grumbled at the disturbance. Nesu gathered driftwood and started a fire for breakfast while he extracted and read the letter. When the food was ready he handed her the letter to read. Rather than a request from troubled villagers it was a message from another mushishi.

They had recently passed through the city Ginko had decided to bypass and encountered a troubling situation: a child locked away in a mansion with an unusual condition that no doctor had been able to diagnose. When the mushishi had offered to help he had been driven away by armed guards. They requested that any mushishi in the area try to look into the situation.

"Armed guards?" Nesu handed the letter back.

"People may not always trust us mushishi, but they don't usually resort to violence." Ginko lit up a cigarette. "I don't like the sound of this."

"We're pretty close, going to check it out?"

"It'll bother me if I don't." Ginko sighed.

After cleaning up breakfast and repacking everything in Ginko's case, they headed back the way they had come the previous day. They reached the tea stand around midday and Ginko got a couple skewers of dango for them to eat as they walked. The lake road was as empty as it was before and Nesu finished her dango before they reached the main road.

There were quite a few people heading towards the city so Nesu had to be sure to stay out of the way. She floated above the level of people's heads, next to Ginko. The city road was well-worn and free of grass. Carts kicked up dust causing people to cough and choke when they went by. From her vantage point, Nesu saw the first few buildings of a wayside village come into view. They stopped at a small inn for the night.

"This is why I don't like cities much." Ginko remarked when they were alone in their room as he knocked the dust off of his clothes.

"Well, cities are an inevitable consequence of civilization growing in complexity." Nesu stretched out. "But we're stuck with dust and dirt. Frankly, the dust is preferable to some of things you can find in the cities I'm used to."

"Somehow, I don't think I want to know."

"Definitely not." Nesu laughed.

The next day was again spent on the road. It was just as dusty as before, with just as many people. By midday the outlying buildings of the city had just become visible. They did not actually reach the city until evening. The streets were crowded and noisy as shopkeepers called out to weary travelers to come in for food, drink, and to rest. Ginko passed them by, looking for the mansion indicated in the letter.

When they found the mansion it was one of the largest buildings in the city. The armed guards were not readily visible, though the high walls and secure gate made their presence likely. Ginko stood across the road and watched the building. Nesu floated above him. What they could both see that the people on the street couldn't were the clouds of mushi streaming into the mansion.

"Well, I'm guessing no one in there can see them." Nesu remarked.

"Hm." Ginko glanced up at her, puffing on his cigarette, not able to say much with the people around.

"If they've already thrown out one mushishi, you probably can't get in just by asking."

Ginko nodded, and then walked away.

He headed back to where the least expensive inns were and got a room. Dinner was brought up by a servant who left after bringing the tray. Nesu took the miso soup and Ginko ate the rest. When they were finished, Ginko set the tray with the dishes outside the door. He took a seat and lit another cigarette.

"Come up with any ideas?" Nesu asked.

"There aren't usually that many mushi in a city like this, and definitely not in the same place." Ginko looked thoughtful. "Something has to be attracting them."

"Ya think?" She rolled her eyes.

"Alright, that was obvious." Ginko smiled. "The question, then, is what is attracting them. It seems like too much of a coincidence that there is supposed to be a sick child in the house. The child, or whatever is affecting the child, is likely the cause."

"So we need to get in and see the kid."

"Yes, but the owners aren't going to let me in if they don't like mushishi."

"True." She leaned back. "If they threw one out they'd throw out another. So I guess it's up to me."

"The guards wouldn't be able to see you . . . " Ginko admitted.

"The mushi should lead me straight to whatever or whoever is attracting them, and then I can report back to you about what I find."

"You've learned quite a bit about mushi while we've been traveling together, but do you really think you can figure this out?"

"Never said I thought I was." She sat back up and looked at him. "Hence reporting back to you, so you can figure it out. Then, if they still won't let you in, I go back and do whatever you need me to do to take care of the situation."

Ginko looked irritated.

"What's bothering you? Not being hands-on the situation?"

"Something like that." He looked away.

Nesu rolled her eyes.

"Okay, then. Should I go tonight or wait until morning so I can see what sort of household it is? Might be helpful for getting you in later."

"The morning should be fine." He laid out the futon and pillow provided by the inn. "You may not need to sleep, but you should still rest occasionally."

"Alright." Nesu settled in by the window to watch the nightlife in the city.

Why am I worried about her going there alone? Ginko thought as he drifted off to sleep. It isn't like there's a chance of her being captured . . . there shouldn't be anyone who could see her . . .