Part 3: Chapter 10

Sadly, I do not own the anime: Noragami.

Time: The next morning.

Hmm, I have an id. Does the club have an admission fee? Pushing the covers away, Hiyori grabbed her cell phone and did a search for the club. Nothing? Really? What sort of place doesn't even have a homepage these days? So I take enough, but since I don't know what enough is, I'll take it all. My poor finances. With one-third going to Kofuku, and my trying to save some for when I want to splurge, . . . . I need a job.

Sitting up she searched for news on the buses and found that by evening they would be running as scheduled. The deluge of the previous day had wrecked havoc, disrupting the bus lines. Needing to get the id she'd attended school, but nearly half the students hadn't. Nor had she been able to get to the pub.

In spirit form Hiyori snuck to the kitchen and searched for leftovers. Finding little but some rice, she placed it in a plastic container and broke two raw eggs over it. It's not much, but it's something, she told herself. Technically they don't need food, but I don't wanted anything pushing Melody towards becoming a phantom: like being hungry.

The shrine Bishamon had pointed out to the two was in an area that was filled with short grass and large, gorgeous red and pink flowers that in the rising sun made the scene look like a drawing from a fairy tale. It was also old looking. A shrine that was used decades ago, but now isn't, Hiyori decided. But the scenery is incredible. Silly people, letting something like this go to waste.

Inside the single one-room, decrepit shack, she placed the food beside the two sleeping forms, noting that the blight on Musik didn't appear to have spread.

Then for an hour she killed phantoms, trying to use punches and kicks as much as possible. Recalling the fights she'd had with those gods of depravity, she realized she'd hardly used her martial arts. That didn't worry her too much; she'd used them where she thought appropriate. But her moves had been sloppy.

Though that's not what really worries me either, the girl mused as she came to a stop atop a five-story apartment building. No, what worries me is the way I froze. Will I do that again? If that'd happened with Lago when he used that fire, or when Textura used that illusion on me, I would be dead. Then there's what I did to Artifex; I don't regret it, not really, but actually tearing off limbs? I'm strong, but not that strong. She paused. Of course, since I did do it, I must be that strong. Which is crazy! But what worries me about it is the way I was so furious that I lost control.

Enjoying the rays of the bright, morning sun amidst a flawless sky, Hiyori made her way home. There, kneeling beside her bed, she saw a worried Yua. She slipped back in her body and sat up.

"Sorry," the young girl said. "I was told to check on you and . . . ." She looked away, wringing her hands.

Hiyori smiled and patted her on the head. "Try phoning next time, okay?"

The girl's face screwed up in confusion. "Phone? But you would be asleep?"

"Maybe," Hiyori told the girl. "But don't tell mom and dad about trying to phone, okay?"

Yua nodded, still confused.

"You still have those two five-yen coins taped to your phone?"

Yua nodded again. "But why?" she asked.

"If you ever need help, and mom and dad and I aren't around, look on the back. There should be a number. Phone it."

The girl looked doubtful, and eyed Hiyori like she had three heads, but slowly nodded a third time.

Hiyori smiled. As soon as her parents had got Yua a phone, she'd had Yato write his number on it; the one that people could only see if they needed help. Her sister had spent her whole life, all eleven years of it, with people passing by, not helping. Hiyori was determined that would never happen again.

Hiyori looked behind her, wondering why a girl who was willing to risk severe punishment to sneak out of her house and head off to a red-light district would hesitate to enter a salon. She watched as Yua stood in the doorway, looking sad. She was okay walking here, but now she's sad? Why? Still observing the girl, Hiyori saw her mouth move just a little. She just ran her tongue over the tooth that was fixed. Embarrassment? Maybe, but that was fixed. . . . Oh, the scars. Her hair hides them, but here they'll be noticed. Maybe bringing her here wasn't a good idea.

Yua finished crossing the threshold and turned to look at Hiyori.

"Just cut, or do you want it styled?" Hiyori asked, smiling at her sister.

Looking small, Yua shrugged, hands in her pockets. Then, with a startled yelp, she was yanked into a chair by Akira who held brochures on the various hair styles and coloring options.

I'll let them sort it out, Hiyori decided. Going to a salon was something she always did with Akira and Aimi, and now Eiko. They'd had to come along so as not to break tradition. Smiling, Hiyori listened to Akira talking to Yua, suggesting various cuts. Yua looked overwhelmed, but not displeased with the attention.

Gods, I hope they don't find out that I'm going to a pub tonight. I would never hear the end of it. And they would be hurt.

Gazing out the window, smiling as she listened to Akira's cheerful, excited voice discussing what to have done with Yua and the other two, Hiyori saw a red-haired, green-eyed mountain walk past, surrounded by five men and women that looked almost as menacing as he did.

That's the guard from the hospital: one of the four that guarded Yua. Her smiled deepened as she recalled how the guards had actually shed tears when they'd learned that Yua's death sentence had been revoked. From Bishamon she'd later learned that all four had prayed to her for the girl's safety. Nor would they have obeyed if she had commanded them to do the deed themselves. They'd been accepting, knowing that between one moment and the next the child would die, but only in the same way someone might watch a child die of leukemia. They'd known they were powerless against the decree of a god.

Hiyori glanced around, searching, and her eyes found what she'd sought, a permanent black-ink marker. Unable to resist, she got comfortable in her seat, then in spirit form she made a dash for the marker. With it in hand, she swiftly caught up with the man and went to work. In the space of seconds, back peddling to keep pace with the guard, she drew a black mustache and beard. Thinking, she emphasized the eyebrows with several strokes as well. Nodding, satisfied, she fled back to the salon with the guard still unaware.

Poor guy, she then mused, feeling a bit guilty. I couldn't help myself. Maybe I should tell my shrink that at times I have this weird obsession to leave my body and draw graffiti on people's faces. I wonder how long it would take them to get a padded cell ready for me.

Happy, she turned back to watching her friends and her sister, basking in the excitement they radiated. For a few moments, with her tail, she could actually feel it as a warm, pleasant glow that brushed against her skin. And for a while all was right with the world. She wasn't sure why Akira and Aimi were excited; they came here with her three or four times a year. Eiko was nervous, but she was a girl, and this was nirvana. Her sister didn't smile, but neither did she frown, and her brown eyes were wide with excitement.

But all good things come to an end, and three hours later she and Yua entered the hospital. Rather than visiting her father or mother as she usually did, Hiyori led Yua to the elevator and hit the button for the fifth floor. "Shrink time," Hiyori said with a sigh.

With another sigh she sat down in the waiting room and took a magazine while Yua went first. There was the temptation to eavesdrop, to see just what her sister was thinking, and how she might help; it was a feeling she ruthlessly crushed. As a spirit she might be invisible, but she did keep to one rule – never go into places where people expected privacy. So far it was a rule she'd kept to with the exception of when her parents talked with the shrink discussing her visits. With her parents as the owners, they never had to wait to hear what he had to say. So after each visit she'd returned to listen in.

"Good evening," she said as she entered the doctor's office an hour later. She saw something that bordered on terror in the eyes of the white-haired man who looked to be between sixty and seventy. Takeo, as he was called, had become wary of her over the months.

"Evening, miss Iki," Takeo said stoically, while grabbing her report to hide the tremor in his right hand.

Should I go easy on him today, Hiyori wondered. Sitting, smiling pleasantly, she created a borderline between the two of them. Three seconds later she let it fade. Then, another three seconds later, she created a second borderline. The doctor frowned, unable to keep focused on his patient. He swallowed nervously and didn't bother to hide a sigh.

Hiyori knew the poor man always saw her, and knew she was there, but that each time she created a borderline his attention wavered, even when he was in mid-sentence.

Hand again trembling, the psychiatrist raised it to rub his forehead.

Frowning, Hiyori cut out the distractions. She didn't want him prying into her secrets, but both she and Yua liked the man. Being mischievous at times is okay, she thought with some ire, mentally rebuking herself. Being cruel is not! Nor is he the one at fault; I am for telling lies to keep secrets.

"Touno will win the next match," she said, sounding confident, smiling.

Looking relieved, the doctor vigorously shook his head. "No way. Lightning Fist will use his speed to evade Touno's devious tricks. The win is in the bag for him."

For a while they traded banter on their favorites, and made a 100 yen bet on the next match.

"How are things with your mother?" the doctor asked, looking a little worried as he tried to steer things back to more serious topics.

Hiyori shrugged, wondering how to respond. "Not good, not bad." she finally said. "I do worry how Yua is taking it though. She's on edge when my mother and I are together. So much for a stable environment."

"On the other hand it might be good for her," the doctor countered. "I assume neither you nor your mother hit each other, or even yell at each other. Children learn by seeing, and right now she's learning how to settle a serious dispute without fists or curses."

"My voice got a bit loud at times," Hiyori admitted, both embarrassed and regretful.

"To be expected. But never yelling, right?"

She shrugged again. "No."

He pried into her life, asking questions she knew he was supposed to, but which she would have only answered to Akira and Aimi and Eiko, and sometimes not even to them. There was a lot of discussion on what happened when she went comatose, and how she could control it; obviously her parents had talked to him about that. She evaded his questions, lying as rarely as she could. It was tempting to distract him with borderlines and other tricks; it was a temptation she again resisted. It would be so easy, but not right. She'd learned too much trickery would cause him to question his own mind and memory. It would be sheer evil to push it too far. So she sat, talked, and lied. Or, sometimes, just refused to answer.

When the session ended she left the office and was surprised to see Yua had waited. She's still too quiet, but I think she's starting to accept me as a sister, or at least not a stranger; though I'm pretty sure she does think I am strange.

Two hours later, heart racing,Hiyori was on a bus, heading for Kabuki-cho, the red-light district of her city. "Oh gods," she quietly muttered to herself, "I hope Akira and Aimi don't hear of this." To help ensure that she wore a black pullover that boasted a large hood, along with black jeans. Frig! I'm falling into the goth look again! But it can't be helped! I definitely do not want to be recognized. Worried, she stared out the bus window where, despite it being night, bright lights revealed a world she'd only gotten a brief glimpse of once before back when when she'd learned vampires were real.

The worst thing was that not only was there no website for the pub, there also wasn't a mention of it in any listing of pubs. Not even to give directions. If the place had had gods in it, no problem, but Noras were only a bit harder to find, or so she thought. She took the bus to the start of the area, and began to walk, sticking to the shadows for the first time since she'd learned of phantoms. She'd expected she would sense the Noras with a single pass through the area. She didn't.

Frig! Why can't I sense them? And how long will it take me to search through more than three-thousand bars and pubs? And if I miss it on the first pass . . . . Or if it's close to a love hotel which I AM NOT going near, . . . What then? Hiyori sighed, and kept walking.

And I can't leave my body to search for it, not in this place. Okay, I can't sense them by walking through the center, so I circle the area?

She walked past people who looked at her with curiosity. Few people were wearing a hood like she was, and with her outfit she also looked pretty androgynous. For the most part they only glanced, and the few that tried to approach her turned away when a borderline caused them to lose focus on her.

The area wasn't large and soon she'd made it a quarter of the way around. Then, like a radio station being switched on, she found them. Wondering, she took two steps back and the Noras vanished from her senses. Two steps forward and they were back. Hmm. I bet this is the back of the pub with no street access, and the front is blocked by a borderline to deter people. Guess they don't like human company; which is a tab bit worrisome.

She chewed on her lower lip. Okay, so I'm terrified. From the way regalia are so disinclined to talk about Noras, it makes them seem more like beasts than regalia. Then there's Hiiro and the fact she tried to kill me three times. Then there was Kugaha. . . . Hiyori paused and took a deep breath. Calm down, she told herself. I'm way too on edge. It'll make me stand out.

She circled around the street, wishing she could just jump over the building. A few minutes later she was at the front, looking at a sign that read: Andeddo Pabu, or the Undead Pub. Set close to the building, a borderline did block the front. She figured it wasn't set to physically block anyone from entering, and found she was right when she stepped through with her heart racing.

Frig! Hiiro isn't in there. And I've seen other Nora, like Melody, who seem nice. Ebisu makes use of them. And at rare times, even respectable gods like Bishamon do. Why am I so afraid?

The man she saw guarding the entrance wasn't particularly large, but to her 5'4'', and with her nerves on edge, he seemed forbidding and her heart pounded even faster. I'm not going to get in, she realized, studying the six-foot man who wore blue jeans and a sand-colored pullover that boasted a very realistic picture of a giant worm breaking through the surface of desert landscape to swallow a frantic, screaming woman whole. His hair was also black, while his eyes were red, blood red. Frig! He looks like someone who eats children for lunch. That picture on his shirt doesn't help with that impression, either. While I don't get the same sense of wrongness from him that I did with those depraved gods, he still reminds me of them.

Keeping her hood up, she tried to stride past him, trying to make herself seem sure of what she was doing. It didn't work.

An arm rose to block her passage, and a voice rumbled, "Get lost."

Heart pounding, Hiyori stopped and looked at the arm, wondering what to do. When she saw a sign stating the admission fee was fifty-thousand yen, she nearly fainted. My poor finances. That's ALL of what I brought with me. With a sinking sensation in her stomach she held it out, hoping, eyes still on the arm. I'm out of my league here, she quietly told herself, needing to resist the urge to chew on her lower lip.

"Get lost, kid," the voice rumbled again.

"No kid," Hiyori replied, now casually holding out her fake id, wondering which god to pray too. Frig! I can be neither cursed nor blessed, which means it's useless for me to pray. Frig! Frig! Frig!

The man knocked her hood back, looked her in the eye, and growled, "Get lost, kid."

She remained where she was, frantically thinking.

The man looked over her shoulder, and gave a small nod.

Frig! Hiyori screamed to herself as her tail sensed someone walk up behind her. A hand reached out, and with her nerves on edge, she broke. Twisting around she grabbed the hand that'd been moving towards her, wishing she was in spirit form and could flee. But that wouldn't help Melody she reminded herself, looking at the tall but slim woman who'd approached her from behind, and whose hand had been lashing out at her.

Moving she turned her back to the entrance trying to keep both Noras in view. The hand she gripped tried to twist free, and nearly did so. The woman who'd moved behind her clearly knew something about breaking free of restraints, but Hiyori was deep in panic and her succubus mind was thinking at twice the speed it normally did; and she was strong. She gripped the wrist, holding the woman firm, then forced her to move so that she could keep both her and the man in easy view.

Her eyes flickered across the pub, noting that they'd drawn the attention of three others who were now approaching, right hands raised. A borderline appeared between her and the woman, intercepting her arm, but not attempting to do any harm. She's trying to make me lose focus on her, Hiyori realized, mind still racing. The woman whose hand she held blinked in surprised when the borderline vanished.

A Nora, she didn't know which one, tried to bind her and she ate it. The sensation of being bound came twice more, and each time she broke a strand of it, then absorbed the power the binding released as it vanished.

Crescent shaped borderlines sliced through the air to hit her. She wasn't sure what they were trying to cut, but she ate them like she had the borderlines Umiha had used so long ago. What are they trying to cut? Hiyori asked herself, worried eyes tracking the three who were casting them. Whatever it is, it isn't my flesh. That would leave cuts. No, it's something deeper within me.

Whatever! Even if they're moving in slow motion, they're still moving, and there's at least a dozen more inside. She ate the current onslaught of borderlines and acted. Needing both her hands free, she pull the woman she held forward, then placed a foot in her midsection, and . . . . The woman was the perfecting projectile with which to knock down the three attacking Noras.

The movement caused the guard to move out of her line-of-sight, but her tail gave warning. She twisted away, grabbed the arm that been lashing out at her, and again pulled. Her foot met another midsection and the four Noras who were swiftly untangling themselves were bowled over for a second time. They started to stand again.

Hiyori saw three more rushing at her, right hands raised, then her tail told her of three more that were approaching from her side. Frig! I can't just slaughter them. And for a moment she froze, realizing that if she was willing to be brutal enough, to kill without hesitation, then she was fast enough and strong enough to do just that; and that thought scared her.

She took a step back, eating three more borderlines that the three attacking from the side cast. Twice more someone tried to bind her, and she also ate that.

Thankfully they're not all casting at the same time, Hiyori noted. That might've overwhelmed me. But if I move fast, as in right now before those five recover, . . . . But making them enemies won't help Melody. Frig, why did they attack? She took another step back, and with the entrance behind her open she prepared to flee. And why did I bring my body along?

"Wait! Stop!" a familiar voice bellowed. And three large, crescent shaped borderlines slashed through the air above their heads; then vanished through the plain, wooden rafters without doing any harm.

Hiyori froze, as did the six currently rushing her. And as did the five who were just now getting off the floor. That's the regalia that Yato used when he fought that vampire, Hiyori recalled. The goth woman.

The black-haired woman stepped into view, her dark-blue eyes on Hiyori. Her face was impassive, though Hiyori thought she could read both curiosity and worry in those eyes.

"As I'm sure you've noticed," the woman started, voice unnaturally calm, "they try to deter humans from entering this place. No big, diabolical Nora plot behind it; we just want a small space of our own. Every year a few get through the borderline and want in. Even fewer are willing to pay the admission price." she nodded at the sign proclaiming the price of admission was an outlandish 50,000 yen.

"When all that fails we spook them into leaving. Cold shivers down their spine, something brushing against their neck. At worst the really stubborn ones receive the occasional grope. You get the picture." She nodded at the tall woman who'd attacked Hiyori from behind. "That's all that she was doing. It wasn't an attack."

"Oh." Hiyori didn't move, still acutely aware of the now eleven hostile Noras who stood within twenty feet of her; all who were not only ready to fight, but eager to do so. She was also aware of the borderline that'd arisen to block her exit.

"The only admission fee," the woman continued to explain, "is being a god, regalia, or Nora, though the former two we also try to discourage" She frowned. "Well, that's what I would normally say. But I'm not sure if you're either of those three. Back when we fought that, . . ." Her frown deepened. "Whatever that was, one of the gods called you human, but obviously you can see us."

The woman turned away and nodded at the club. 'How many people are here?" she asked.

"Other than the twelve close to me, there's five left on the floors or at tables, two behind the bar, and three in the washrooms." Now it was Hiyori's turn to frowned, and blush. "I really didn't need to see that," she said, tilting her head away from the washroom doors. "What if someone walks in on them?"

There was silence.

"Oh right." Gods don't need to poop, and neither do regalia. The only use for the washrooms would be for someone to use the mirrors to fix their appearance, and I'm guessing regalia aren't quite as vain as humans; at least not if they count vanity as a sin.

Still blushing, she looked to see where the others were looking. Behind the bar stood a single man.

"Guess you were wrong on that account." The woman gave Hiyori a friendly smile.

A mass of red hair poked itself above the bar, and frightened, dark-grey eyes looked around.

"Oh. Okay, so, um, there are two there," the woman said sheepishly. "Quite some eyes you got there." Her voice was friendly, obviously trying to calm the situation down.

When the Noras still stood facing Hiyori with hands half raised, and Hiyori stood facing them, hands also raised, she sighed. "She didn't attack," the woman told her fellow Noras. "She was responding to what she thought was an attack. Now all is explained, so you can put those hands down and go back to whatever you were doing before." She paused. "I'm sure that along with those scrapes and bruises, your pride is hurt, but she's not a god or a regalia, so no need to be so royally pissed about it." She shrugged. "No major harm has been done yet, but she can take a freaking lot of punishment. And she can dish it out, which is something she hasn't started doing yet. If you continue, she won't be the one getting the worst of it."

Except I brought my body along, Hiyori fumed. No longer sure why I wanted to, but . . . . Well, that wouldn't be good in a fight. Not if they were actually trying to hurt me. Not that they are. I know that, but, . . . .

Then the hostility she felt around her vanished. Oh, they got a bit of rivalry going on with the regular regalia. It would've been a blow to their pride, as much as being dead allows them to have a sin like pride, to be the first to back away in a fight with a regalia.

"What is she then?" the guard asked the woman.

The woman shrugged and looked at Hiyori.

"Good question. Every god I know ends up asking it."

When she didn't say anything else the guard frowned, and it seemed as if his blood-red eyes would pierce her soul, shredding it.

"Come," the goth woman said, and beckoned. "I'm really interested in why you would come here."

Still wary, Hiyori walked past the Noras who were now scattering. Mostly they were going back to their tables, but the guard and the woman who'd first 'attacked' her headed further into the pub, walking hunched over while holding what she hope were merely sprained wrists.

"Will they be okay?" she asked the goth woman.

The woman shrugged. "It's good for us to get the stuffing beat out of us once in a while. It keeps us from getting too arrogant, and making mistakes when the stakes are much higher."

"Oh."

The woman sat down at a table and pointed at a chair. Hiyori looked around, then sat, trying to keep her terror from showing on her face.

"You don't like Noras, do you?" The woman shrugged. "Of course few people do. What brings you here?"

Hiyori looked at the woman, then shrugged herself. "Sorry. I've had Noras try to kill me before, and usually almost succeeding. If they didn't tend to delay it in order to either mock me, or torture me, I would be dead now. I guess I have developed a bit of a fear of them."

"Oh." The woman frowned. "I can see how that would cause you to develop a bit of a bias. By the way, you can call me Maria."

Hiyori frowned, looking puzzled. That's not the name she used with Yato.

"The names gods give us come and go. We usually also go by something a bit more permanent," the woman explained, seeing Hiyori's confusion.

"Oh. That makes sense."

"What do I call you?" the woman asked.

"Hiyori."

"Um. Is that your real name?" The woman looked the girl over, eyebrows raised.

"It is. Why?"

"Typically you should keep your real name secret. Remember, we can use a name to bind a person."

Hiyori looked around the pub, noting the numerous glances that were being thrown their way. "I know," she admitted. "But not knowing didn't seem to stop them from trying."

The woman, Maria, leaned closer to run her eyes over Hiyori, scrutinizing her with a look of confusion. "You mean someone actually tried and it didn't work? That's interesting. A really skilled shinki can use songs to substitute for a person's name. They would be superb at borderlines and bindings and such. Or maybe they heard about you from somewhere."

"Oh. I guess I shouldn't use my real name then." She fingered the id in her pocket. "Shin'enko, will do."

Maria nodded. "Okay, Shin'enko, wait here."

She headed to the bar and soon returned with two cans of . . . something. Hiyori wasn't quite sure what.

"Drink?" Maria asked when Hiyori didn't reach for the can she offered.

"I'm not old enough."

Maria blinked. "Oh. Um." Then she shrugged. "Doesn't really matter." She slid the can over to Hiyori.

"Isn't breaking the law a sin?" Hiyori asked, eyes still on the colorful can.

"Laws are always changing. Be a pain to use them to tell what was a sin and what wasn't." She smiled. "I mean that literally. Besides, the laws don't cover dead people."

I'm on edge, and they're on edge, Hiyori noted, still sensing the glances and the stares. She took the can and pulled on the tab. I'm sorry Akira. I'm sorry Aimi. I'm sorry Eiko. Around her the Noras ceased to be quite as on edge.

"So, what brings you here?"

"Can humans hire Noras?" Hiyori asked, crossing her fingers.

"Obviously." Maria smiled. "We do sometimes work in places like stores. We make really good security guards."

"I bet." Hiyori couldn't help but smile back.

"I can't imagine though why you would want to. From when we fought that . . . whatever it was, you're more than capable of handling anything a Nora can."

Hiyori reminded herself not to mention the word vampire.

"I see." Maria sighed and smiled again. "Yeah, the gods also clammed up when we asked about it. I've never seen anything like that, nor want to again."

Hiyori took another sip of the drink that tasked much like cherry cola. "I want an ablution done," she said.

"Oh. But why come to us?"

"The person is not from here, and no god wants to risk their regalia for a stranger."

"But you're willing to risk our lives," Maria stated bluntly.

"Yes." Hiyori answered, just as blunt. She looked away. "Sorry."

"I'm teasing," Maria said, smirking. "Noras choose whether or not to take a job. We decide if the risk is worth the reward." She tiled her head, frowning. "At least usually. Sometimes the gods don't play fair."

"I know." Hiyori looked away again. Sometimes they kill a Nora to hide their tracks, she recalled, frowning.

"How dangerous is it?" Maria asked.

"I don't know enough to say for sure, but she's pretty close to becoming an Ayakashi. Maybe only a few days away. If it weren't so dangerous, I'm pretty sure one of the gods would've been willing to ask their regalia. That they didn't is telling. And any shinki trying to help her needs to know English."

"It's a common language." Maria looked around the room. "Of course the more dangerous the job, the more it'll cost."

"How much?" Hiyori asked, taking a deep breath. She crossed her fingers.

"If she's as far along as I think she is, then maybe two-million yen apiece."

Frig! I knew it would be expensive, but where the heck do I get six-million yen!

"We may be dead," Maria said, again smiling at the girl, "but we do like our comforts. A place to sleep; food to eat, and not always the same thing; some entertainment like movies, or books; or the ability to hop on a train or bus to see the country. And we can't enjoy those if we don't have money, or if we get eaten by an Ayakashi. Normally it would cost less than fifty-thousand yen. If we know the shinki, then of course we usually do it for free."

"I know it's fair, especially for something so dangerous," Hiyori said, trying to wipe away the sense of despair she felt.

Maria leaned closer, her dark-blue eyes peering into Hiyori magenta ones. "I've said the gods don't always play fair, and you seem to know that too. Tell me, Shin'enko, were the gods playing fair when they hired us to fight that phantom. The one which could tear apart even a god like Bishamon?"

Hiyori blinked.

Maria leaned back. "I see."

"If it's any consolation, while they didn't risk their regalia, they did fully expect to die themselves."

"It is," Maria answered. "And to be honest, afterwards all four actually apologized, and admitted that if things had not gone perfect then even if the phantom died they would've killed us. I now have enough money to spend the next several decades in here, doing nothing but enjoying myself, and even if dead, celebrating that I'm still around."

Maria leaned forward again. "By the way, Bishamon sent me a message yesterday,"

"Oh," Hiyori said, her ears perking up in interest.

"It seems they planned to kill us Noras even if things did go exactly as planned. That you were the one who convinced them not to." The woman shrugged. "So it seems I owe you my life. I'll certainly be one of the three for the ablution you want. I'll also find two others." She grinned. 'Can't have you starting more bar fights. What would your parents think? You're still at that age right?"

Hiyori went pale.

Maria smirked. "Yeah, she also said you were a trouble magnet. You'll have to pay their costs, which will be two million yen apiece. If I can't bargain them below that, I'll also pay anything above it."

"Oh."

"Can't the god she follows help?" Maria asked.

Hiyori fell silent for a while. "The gods don't always play fair," she reminded the woman, "and they played rather rough with her. She seems really nice, and is devoted to one god, but from what Musik told me, she likes being helpful, and aided other gods. Then she met a few who she thought wanted a weapon to kill phantoms." Hiyori shrugged. "Long story short, they didn't, and they refused to release her name. Musik and her had to flee."

"She's a Nora?" Maria asked, sounding especially interested.

"She was. Those gods did, um, release the names they gave her, but I don't think she'll be up to the task of aiding another god anytime soon. Maybe not ever."

"What happened to those gods."

Hiyori remained quiet.

"Oh." Maria leaned back. "Since she's a Nora, or once was, I'm sure I can get another two regalia for a million yen each. We usually give discounts to each other." She looked around. "Well, there are others outside of our little group who we don't have much to do with, but inside we do. And with her having had such a bad time we'll extend it to her." The woman shrugged. "Who knows. Maybe we'll get a new face around here."

"We'll do the ablution tomorrow morning," Maria continued. "The longer we wait the more dangerous it'll be, but we don't want to do it at night. You can bring the money here when you get it, no rush. If I'm not here, just hand it in at the bar and tell them it's for me."

Maria leaned close again, looking at Hiyori's face. "Why the frown?" she asked.

"Nothing." This is one of the four Noras who would've been killed by Bishamon and the others, Hiyori thought, gulping. She's nice. Gods, it a lot different to think of someone dying when you know them even a little.