I marched forwards with no purpose, yet I felt wherever I end up would be something special. It was just another nocturnal stroll for me, except I had somehow blanked out and ended up somewhere I've never been before. I clearly do not recall a forest in this area, I was simply heading in the general direction of the nearest convenience store to grab myself a midnight snack, yet here I was in a place that should not exist. At some point I found a dirt path, or rather I unconsciously walked onto the road and began to follow it, as if I was anticipating this exact road to be here, am I even in control of myself anymore? Nothing but grass and trees for however long I was trudging down this path for, was it always this dark at night? Or has my eyesight become worse than I remember? I suppose it doesn't matter wherever I'm going, I seemed to be faring just fine wandering about in the dead of night blind as a bat; actually scratch that, a bat would be considered infinitely more capable than me at being able to see at all right now.
My inner turmoil is interrupted by my ears picking up a faint voice in the distance, I instinctively begin to quicken my pace in its direction. I no longer can find it in me to care about what happens next, if I get abducted or stabbed by some weirdos then so be it. As the voice begins to become more audible I realize whoever it's coming from, they're singing some tune I've never heard of before. I can't find the words to describe what I'm hearing right now, it's… Beautiful. I simply must hear more, the thought of not being able to receive such a pleasant tone is maddening, I hastened my pace tenfold, I'm practically running at this point. At the same time I notice that my vision is worsening as I come closer to the source of the angelic melody, I'll probably run face first into a tree at this rate as I feel myself veering a little off the trusty dirt path I've been trekking on. I slow down and try to get my bearings, the voice is quite close now, and I identify it as that of a young woman, why would someone like that be out here this late? She appears to be humming to herself now, a tune I find most soothing, this must be what I've been searching for all along; I turn the corner around some bushes and she seems to have noticed my advance towards her.
"Hm? Didn't they tell you humans shouldn't be wandering about on this trail, especially at a time like this?" she says, as I stumble my way over
"I heard your beautiful singing miss, I simply had to hear more" I manage through exhausted breaths, I stop and fall to my knees
"What's wrong?"
"I've been walking for so long, I think I don't have the strength to stand anymore"
"Hmm, I think I've got just the thing to fix that. Do you have it in you to come along over here?"
"I'm afraid not miss, all the fight I had left in me had left just moments ago. I also think I've gone blind wandering for so long"
"My, well that sounds terrible! Allow me to help you with that" I hear her moving towards me and she stops to my left, I feel her wrap her arms around my left arm "if you would please stand for me." I do as she asks and pour what little remaining strength I have left into my legs and stand up. "You have such weird clothing mister, would you happen to be an outsider?" 'Mister'? How old is she exactly?
"A what now?"
"Oh? How interesting~ Come now, take a seat" she guides me onto a stool "sit still for a few minutes, I'll prepare something that will fix that blindness and fatigue of yours" prepare something? Am I about to be drugged and locked away in god knows where? I surely hope not, this lovely lady I just met wouldn't do such a thing right?
"Miss, you said something about humans not being safe on this trail, why would you be here in that case?" I nervously ask
"Let's just say I was feeling a little adventurous tonight, you ever felt that way?" she replies
"I suppose I do?" I haven't met anyone in my life who would describe being alone on some random trail in the dead of night as an 'adventure'. I suddenly hear a hissing noise and a pleasant scent makes its way to my nose, is she cooking meat? It might not be drugs but I have no way of telling if she's spiking it with something with my whole poor eyesight situation at hand, I have little choice here but to place faith in a stranger I just met. "What are you making?" I try to engage in small talk with her to see if I can figure anything out about her character.
"Just a personal recipe of mine, I assure you of its quality, wouldn't be able to sell them otherwise"
"You sell food around here?"
"I've got to make a living somehow"
"Out here? I can't see many people coming out here for a food stall of all things"
"Hey now, I get quite the amount of foot traffic around here I'll have you know?"
"Is that so?"
"Oh hush you. Anyways it's ready now, enjoy it to your heart's content~" she places something in front of me, then grabs one of my arms by the wrist and places something in my hand, a stick of some sort. I take a moment to sniff whatever is on the stick, and it smells quite good; surely there's nothing harmful in this. I take a bite and welcome a pleasing flavor in my mouth, taking a few moments to appraise it and swallow.
"It's quite good, would you tell me what it is now?"
"Grilled lamprey, freshly caught from the river" lamprey? I don't recall any street vendors I've seen selling such a delicacy, maybe I wandered off somewhere even farther from home than I initially thought. "Um, where in the world are we supposed to be miss?"
"Please just call me Mystia, and you're currently in a place called Gensokyo"
"Gensokyo? Is that a new prefecture?"
"I have no idea what you're going on about, but the simplest way to put it is it's another world essentially"
"What?" fantastic, my nightly strolls may have taken me to weird places before, and now they've taken me to a whole other world entirely; at least the food tastes good if these lamprey skewers are anything to go by. "So I just somehow walked in here by mistake?"
"That's not quite on the mark, usually for cases like yours it's either you were forgotten completely in your world, someone wanted you to be here, or you were just unlucky enough to be spirited away on your own." Mystia closes her eyes and places a hand on her chin in deep thought. Forgotten? Me? I'm fully aware of the fact that I never really had much of a presence to begin with, sometimes people just forget I'm in the same room as them, but I didn't think it would get to the point where my entire existence would be gone from everyone else's minds. I can't think of anyone that would want to throw me in some place like this either, I usually kept to myself and made a point not to inconvenience or wrong anybody else.
"I-I see…" I timidly reply as munch on the lamprey I was given; my vision seems to be returning to me as I continue to eat it. "My eyesight is beginning to return to me, did you put something in these?" I ask as I take another bite and begin to be able to see once more, albeit very poorly.
"Nothing of the sort! It's simply the healing properties of the lamprey restoring your vision" Mystia puts a hand on her hip and points to the sky with the other, striking some kind of confident pose, although at the back of my mind I have some doubts about this claim of hers.
"Huh, never knew that" I decided to play along with whatever act she's trying to pull, she sounds exactly like those people who claim to have created or discovered some sort of miracle medicine. Unlike those people however her claim holds at least some weight as the miracle medicine she's giving out appears to be working. Maybe she is trustworthy after all? As I'm able to make out some clearer images, I take a close look at Mystia, she's wearing a brown kimono with a navy blue apron tied around her waist, and has short pink hair covered by a rag that matches color with the apron. Two things that struck me as strange though, were those abnormally long and sharp fingernails of hers which were also green, and a pair of wings sprouting out from behind her. Wait, is this why she said 'humans' instead of 'people' before? Is she not human herself? Did I just waltz into the clutches of some monster?!
"U-Um, excuse me Mystia, but I'm about to ask something that might seem rude" asking her outright is probably a stupid idea, but I see no better options here, if I try running she'll probably just fly into me and snatch me if those wings are real. Maybe I'd last a bit longer if I engaged her in conversation.
"Oh? Well in that case ask away, I'll try not to be too upset since you're an outsider and all" Mystia looks me in the eye and awaits my question, it's now or never
"Well, now that I've gotten a look at you I was wondering, are you not human by any chance?" I tense up after finishing that sentence and await whatever fate will befall me now
"So you've noticed; you're acting awfully calm for someone who might just be standing in front of a monster" Mystia's upbeat tone of voice from earlier has now been laced with some sinister undertones. I begin to sweat a little as my heart rate begins to slowly sky rocket.
"...I try to keep a level head, even in situations like these" I give her a strained smile as I look back into her gray eyes, she smirks in response to this and narrows her eyes a little, giving me a piercing gaze.
"How very interesting~; Yes, I am not a human like you, I am a youkai, specifically a night sparrow. I am naturally someone you should fear" her smirk curls into an ominous grin "normally I would be hunting and eating people like you." I shrink back in my seat, fully aware of what her saying that entails. To my surprise however, she loses that terrifying look and returns back to the friendlier one from before "however, you've caught an inkling of my interest human, unlike the others you calmly asked if I was something inhuman and didn't start screaming in horror when you found out I was. Those who did try to talk their way out of things like you are a rare occurrence and even they don't usually last that long against me with that act." Maybe there's still hope I can leave in one piece?
"I-I'm flattered you find me so intriguing" I'm practically sweating bullets right now
"Tell you what, if you just pay what I'm owed for the lamprey I gave you, I'll let you run free. How does that sound?" She's letting me off that easily? A supposed man-eating monster? Even a fool would catch on that this a blatant lie, she's probably played this very trick with those other folk she's preyed on, what makes my predicament any different from theirs? But even in such a dire situation, I still want to believe in the faintest hope that the beast before me has told me no lies.
"That… would be nice, yes" I slowly reached into my pockets and dug around when I made a horrifying discovery: I did not have my wallet on me. I frantically pat my other pockets and to my dismay and Mystia's disappointment I am met with nothing but lint. The fragile hope I had gambled on had just been shattered into innumerable pieces, and now I had another price I couldn't pay for in the form of Mystia's possible oncoming wrath. Her face once more lost its welcoming and warm appearance and shifted back to something colder. "I'm afraid… I can't pay for it, Mystia…" I manage to mutter at her through shaky breaths
"That's a real shame, I suppose I'll just go back to my usual routine" Mystia replies in soft, yet frightening tone, a malicious glint in her eye is aimed at me as she brandishes her jade-like nails akin to the talons of a hawk. I freeze up in abject terror, unable to even let out a single cry for help, soon to be ravaged by the conniving woman in front of me. For a moment, I closed my eyes and accepted my end, sudden and unfair as it is, until one last idea popped into my mind, possibly the biggest bet on my life I'd bid for.
"WAIT!" I yell out in desperation, and by some miracle or perhaps in one last act of mercy or pity from Mystia, she halts her advance and gives me a blank look, lowers her hand and utters a single word.
"...What?" a few moments of tense silence pass as my mind tries to find the words I need to get myself out of this life-or-death scenario
"I-I..I can work off the debt! I just-please..I'll do whatever it takes..I..I want to live!" I pathetically cry out to her, if this doesn't do anything then that's it I suppose. Through some possible act of divine intervention, her expression softened a little and the menacing aura she gave off had vanished.
"Hmmm… Maybe Kyouko's teachings are rubbing off on me after all" I barely hear Mystia mutter to herself
"H-Huh?" I let out involuntarily, she lets out a chuckle and and raises her hands up in front of her
"Relax, I've decided that I won't eat you after all" she grins at me
"R-Really?"
"Really. You've got me caught up in some particular mood, I can't quite put my finger on it." She adopts a thinking pose for a few seconds but quickly drops it "ok human, I'll have you work for me, however it won't be to clear your debt, it will be for however long I feel like it." Mystia then gave me a stern look "and I want to hear no complaints about it if you want to live, got it?"
"Got it…" my voice barely comes out as a whisper
"What was that?" I quickly straighten my back and look her in the eye
"Yes boss!" She lets out a laugh at my act
"Boss huh, I could get used to the sound of that. What is your name human?"
"It's… Yasushi Okane"
"Okane then. Now, I can't just send you to the village because then you could just run away from all this and I wouldn't be able to keep an eye on you. Nor can I leave you out here since other man-eating youkai like me roam these parts and you would surely get chomped on by them, which leaves only one other option. I'll have you stay with me for the time being, that way I can easily keep tabs on you, understand?"
"Completely"
"Good, now come along with me, can't have you walking off and getting lost on me."
…
I've not only gotten myself out of that precarious situation from before, but now I've gotten myself into an arguably worse one. Not only is my life still in the hands of this monster, but now I have to lodge with them, who's to say she won't just go back on her word and eat me in my sleep? Somehow I need to convince her I'm worth keeping around, if I prove myself to be useful I could stall for long enough to figure out how to leave.
"Okay we're here~" Mystia's voice snaps me out of my thoughts, I turn to look where she's leading me, and I see what appears to be a cabin just ahead of us, I assume this is where I'll be staying with her. I follow her inside and it's quite spacious, this place seems a little large to be housing just one occupant.
"So, where exactly will I be sleeping?" I ask Mystia
"You will be snoozing on my couch, I have a spare blanket you can use as well" at least she isn't making me sleep on the floor, I fear I'd develop some serious back pain sleeping on it. She lets out a yawn and turns to me "I'll go head off to bed now, and I suggest you do the same; we have work to do in the morning" she tells me in a drowsy tone.
"Right" I follow her to another room where I'll be spending my nights for a while, an oil lantern sits in the corner only slightly illuminating the area. I walk over and sit myself down on the slightly beat up looking couch present while Mystia leaves to fetch me a pillow and comforter. For a youkai that's supposed to be feasting on humans such as myself she's being awfully hospitable, maybe living with her won't be too bad? Wait no, those are some dangerous thoughts I'm having, her hospitality is possibly a ploy to get me to lower my guard, and when I least expect it she'll strike like she would have back there. I can't get too comfortable, or else some terrible fate worse than I can imagine could befall upon me. Mystia returns and hands me the aforementioned necessities required for a comfortable slumber, dragging me out of my musing.
"Well, good night then Okane" Mystia gives me a small wave and walks out
"Good night" I call back to her a few moments after she leaves. I extinguish the lantern and lie myself down on the couch, sleep doesn't find its way easily to me as I'm still on edge about the whole 'sleeping in a house with a man-eater' thing hanging over my mind. Eventually after some unknown amount of time spent tossing and turning, the lull of sleep finally takes me.
Morning arrives, and I can't say I had a very pleasant rest, my entire body aches and I can't bring myself to open my eyes as my eyelids feel like lead. Maybe just a few minutes lying here would do some good, I didn't feel like getting up anytime soon. I hear footsteps approaching and feign deep sleep, they come closer until I hear them right beside me, I feel a hand on my shoulder and am gently shook by it.
"Wakey wakey, it's time to get up my dear subordinate" Mystia says close to my ear. Subordinate? I mean, I did call her 'boss' last night but I wouldn't describe our current relationship as superior and underling. I groan in response to her attempt to get me up, and something sharp pokes my throat and she whispers into my ear "if you don't get up I'll eat you." My eyes shoot wide open and I jolt upright, almost falling off the couch in the process
"GAH! I'M UP I'M UP!" I scream out in terror, to my surprise I find Mystia laughing at me. I take a glance at her, she's wearing a brown pair of pajamas that hugs her figure close- Okane, stop.
"Haha! Come now, don't act so frightened, I wouldn't go back on my word so quickly" she says, amused at my reaction to her threat. I slowly begin to calm down and let out a nervous laugh
"Please don't do that" I say through anxious breaths, Mystia's smirk deepens and she lets out a giggle.
"Oh come on~ it was just a harmless joke" harmless, right, as if you didn't actually threaten me like that before; I've changed my mind, living with her is going to be hell.
"R-Right. So uh, what are you having me do today?"
"I'll have you trained to help out at my food stall later tonight, would you happen to know how to cook?"
"Well, I can only make really basic dishes and I haven't done it for a little while now"
"Looks like we're gonna have to work on that then" she nods to herself "come on, let's see those culinary skills in action" she beckons me to come with her and I internally bid my place of respite farewell and follow her to the kitchen.
…
I knew I was already terrified of Mystia, but she showed me a whole other side of her to me that morning. Was she a drill sergeant or something in the past? Hours of following instructions, making little mistakes she would pick up on and berate me for, I felt like I was having years of culinary lessons beat into me. She at least had enough mercy to have us stop by noon, my stomach felt like it would burst since she made me eat most of the dishes she deemed 'failures'. I take a seat at the dining room table and Mystia lets out a deep sigh
"Well, after such a poor display you've shown me, I suppose you aren't entirely hopeless in the kitchen" she lets out in a resigned tone.
"So uh, what will I be doing then?" I asked with a slight hint of fear in my voice. Mystia turns to look into my eyes, tilting her head a little. A few seconds pass and she speaks up once more
"I think I'll have you take care of smaller tasks at the stall, like helping chop up vegetables or disposing of waste. If we end up having a busier night you'll be working as a waiter instead."
"I see…"
"But enough about that, there's one other issue we need to address and that's your fashion sense"
"Excuse me?" I am utterly dumbfounded by this statement
"The folk over at the stall will already have questions for me for just having you there, and I don't want to deal with them trying to eat you since you look like an outsider."
"Well, do you not have anything you can spare me?"
"I don't, and even if I did there's no way I'd lend them to you, they would be too small for you and it would raise even stranger questions from the customers. So here's what I'll do, I need to go buy ingredients at the human village so I'll take that opportunity to get some clothes for you as well."
"Alright then, what do I do in the meantime?"
"Oh I don't know, count how many trees there are outside? Just don't go snooping around my house" she walks out of the kitchen and into the hallway, she shouts to me from out there "oh and also, both the clothes and the ingredients you used earlier will be added to your tab!"
"Got it!" I shout back and slump into my chair "It's gonna be a long day…" I mumble to myself. Well, at least she didn't threaten to eat me again after seeing how useless I was at cooking. Mystia promptly returns and peeks around the corner at me
"Okay~ I'll be heading out now, be good while I'm gone!"
"What am I, a child?" she gives me no answer and disappears back into the hallway, I hear her exit through the front door and I'm left alone. I wait a few minutes to make sure she doesn't come back in case she forgot something, and get up from my seat. I'm definitely pushing my luck here, but I've grown just a little curious about what someone like Mystia would have lying around their home, so I get up out of my chair and begin my little escapade in her humble abode.
…
I lie back down on the couch I would be sleeping on tonight and let out a sigh, fortunately Mystia didn't have any hidden chambers where she kept humans in like I expected from someone who had claimed to me multiple times they ate people. Unfortunately I found the place rather plain for someone like Mystia to be living here, or perhaps I'm getting ahead of myself with my assumptions about her. In any case, this home seemed like something I would come across if I ever decided to take a stroll through the countryside, it even faintly reminded me of my grandparents' home. Well, I shouldn't get too comfortable living here, if all goes well I'll be gone within a few weeks probably should Mystia stay true to her promise to let me go once I've worked off what I owed her. With nothing else to seemingly do here I decide to take a quick nap and hope I wake up in time for Mystia's return, I shut my eyes and wait for sleep to take me.
…
I was rudely awakened from my comfy afternoon nap by someone blowing air into my ear, the individual in question still giggling about it across the table from me, I gave her an irritated look which only fuels her snickering even further. She wipes a tear from her eye catches her breath
"I think I'll enjoy having you around more than I thought" Mystia looks at me with a smug expression
"Fantastic, I am going to be the laughingstock of a lady who eats people in the middle of the woods for a while" I grumble back at her
"Don't be such a spoilsport, I thought men liked being teased by younger women"
"I'd like to have a word with said men then"
"I'm sure they'd want to have a word with you for not enjoying this" she leans forward and rests her chin on her hands, I let out a deep sigh
"Yup, living here is going to be hell"
"Stop being so sour, it's only going to be as bad as you make it out to be. Come now, if you keep this act up I will reconsider not eating you" I flinch a little at this and lower my gaze
"As you wish, boss"
"Good, now it's time for the main attraction" Mystia pulls up a basket containing a set of clothing, she begins laying them out on the table. "I got you two sets, one for personal use and one for the stall. I've included er-… necessities as well." Mystia said that last line with an uncharacteristic bashfulness
"Necessities?"
"You'll find out when you look through them. You best take care of them well, I had to endure strange looks all over the village to get them, and that damned reporter wouldn't stop pestering me all the way!" she grits her teeth and adopts a scowl on her face. My attention is suddenly grabbed by the sound of faint flapping wings and the moving shutter of a camera, both Mystia and I turn to look at the window where it came from. I see a figure wearing a white blouse and a black skirt with wings sprouting out of their back aiming a camera at us, they lower the camera and wink at us, then begin to fly away. I turned to Mystia to ask who it was when she jumps out of her seat and runs to the window, opens it, and begins shouting
"STOP STALKING ME YOU DAMNED CARRION MUNCHER!" She sounded absolutely livid, I was astonished that the same voice I heard singing a calming melody the night before was capable of spitting such venom. She marched back over to her seat and plopped herself down on it, taking a few deep breaths to calm herself down. I try to defuse this tense atmosphere.
"So, was that the-" she raises a hand and cuts me short
"Yes, that was the reporter I mentioned earlier." She lets out a sigh "I should've known she would follow me home"
"Is she always this unbearable?"
"You could say that, yeah. I only put up with it because she said good things about my food in one of her newspaper articles. And as much as I hate to admit it, her newspaper is how I get most information about what's happening in Gensokyo aside from chatting with customers." She folds her arms on the table and rests her head on them.
"So what now? Is she gonna write some scandalous article on us or something?"
"Likely, that girl sure loves her gossip; claims it drives most of her sales. But enough about her, go try on your new outfits"
The sun had begun to set and I was helping haul ingredients and various cooking utensils over to Mystia's food stall; she of course made me carry most of the bags since I was her 'subordinate' for the time being. She was humming a tune ahead of me while we walked, it was reminiscent of a song a mother would use to comfort their child. This made me wonder if Mystia had a family like I did, against better judgment of not wanting to possibly touch a nerve the words flowed out of my mouth.
"Say, Mystia" she abruptly stops and stands still for a moment, dread fills me as I anticipate the worst, she slowly turns her face to give me a side glance and glares at me. She utters a single word in an irritated tone
"What?" I stop in my tracks and shrink back a little, I hesitate to answer her. I should've just kept my mouth shut
"I er-...nevermind, sorry for bothering you" I lower my head to avoid her gaze
"Don't do that" I hear her say as she begins walking again, following her soon after. The rest of the walk was continued in mostly silence, occasionally filled with Mystia's humming.
…
We arrived at a stand larger than the one I met Mystia at, tables with paper lanterns on them accompanied by chairs were littered about in front of them. It was like I was helping set up a food stall that would operate during a new years festival, if it was a little more lively around here it'd be like I never left home. I try to dispel the oncoming wave of homesickness by talking to Mystia
"Huh, I thought we were going back to that cart I met you at last night"
"Oh, that dingy old thing? I usually use that on nights where I feel like giving a few unsuspecting travelers a little scare and to well… you know"
"...Right. Where do I put all these?" I lift up the bags in my hands
"Just set them down by-"
"GOOD EVENING!" Mystia is cut off by the shout of what sounds like a young girl, we both turn to the source of the sound. I see someone in the distance running and waving at us, they have short greenish hair and are wearing a pale pink dress. It looks like brown dog ears are sprouting from her head, and what appears to be a tail peeks out from the hem of her dress. Now who could this be? Not another man-eating youkai I hope.
"Kyouko!" Mystia calls back to her and runs over to her and gives her a hug, the two hold the embrace for a moment before coming back over to me
"Who is this Mystia?" the one called Kyouko asks
"Ah right I haven't told you about him" Mystia turns to me "why don't you introduce yourself to her?" me and Kyouko face each other
"Hello, I am Yasushi Okane, I'll be working with you for however long Mystia feels like" I put down the bag in my right hand and extend it for a handshake, Kyouko takes my hand in hers and returns the greeting.
"I am Kasodani Kyouko, a yamabiko and a priestess in training at Myouren Temple! I hope we get along well!" she beamed at me
"Likewise" I give her a small smile in response
"Okay!" Mystia grabs our attention "Now that the both of you have acquainted we better set up the stall before customers start arriving." With that, we started preparations for tonight's shift; while I was carrying bags over to the stall, Kyouko approached me and spoke in a hushed voice.
"Mystia hasn't been picking on you has she?"
"What? Well, I uh, not really? Does it seem that way?"
"Please be honest with me, I've known her for a while know and am fully aware that she doesn't get along with humans all too well" She looks at me with a hint of worry, I can't recall anything I've heard about yamabiko but she seems genuinely concerned about my well-being, perhaps I could confide in her a little?
"Mystia can be a bit much sometimes but…" Sure, she has threatened me a few times now, but besides that she doesn't really act too different from a normal person. I suppose I have unintentionally warmed up to her a little, despite our circumstances. "She's generally been nice to me for the most part, I don't think you should worry about us too much" I assure her, the concern on her face dissolves and returns to a smile.
"Well, you don't seem to be lying if you can talk about her and smile like that, I'll take your word for it" she nods in approval. Wait, I was smiling? Really Okane? Of all the women in your life you could have gotten fuzzy with, you chose the one who actively claims to eat people? Mother didn't raise you like this… My inner turmoil seems to have shown on my face as Kyouko is looking at me with worried eyes once more
"Is something-"
"I'm fine Kyouko, it's nothing important"
"If you say so"
"Oi! How long are you two gonna stand around and chat for? We have a stall to run, get to it!" Mystia breaks up our conversation and we get back to prepping for business.
…
Our shift went more smoothly than I anticipated, I just had to deal with questions about why I'm at the stall and my connection to Mystia, and the occasional odd glance from some customers. Thankfully it wasn't too busy so I didn't have to get up close to the youkai we were serving; some of them were eyeing me as if they were appraising a dish and I wouldn't feel comfortable approaching them. We had finished closing down the stall and departed with Kyouko, and began walking back to Mystia's home together. And of course she made me carry most of the bags again…
"Good work today Okane, keep that up and you'll be out of my feathers in no time" Mystia grinned at me.
"About that, how long am I gonna be working for you anyway?" I asked her
"Hmm…I'm still deciding that" she looks away from me.
"Really now…Do you actually mean to let me go eventually?"
"Don't go jumping to conclusions, I don't plan on keeping you with me for long. Or are you so eager to part with me?" she feigns a hurt expression. I take a moment to think of a response, and it comes to naturally
"Yeah" I state flatly
"How rude, perhaps I should just work you into the grave"
"Please don't." She lets out a laugh and the rest of the trip continues in silence.
…
When we finally arrived back at her house she told me to wait at the dining table and left saying she was going to fetch something; wonder what that's all about. Hope it's nothing out of the ordinary. Wait no, what's ordinary here is probably not ordinary for me considering I am working for a woman who's part sparrow, I think. I hear the front door open and close, Mystia enters the room promptly afterwards carrying a ceramic bottle and two small cups. She's not gonna make me drink anything weird is she? She sets the bottle and the cups down on the table and takes the seat across from me
"What's this supposed to be for?" I gesture towards the bottle.
"Well, I was thinking that since we're living with each other a little while, it would be nice if we told each other about ourselves." She points her thumb at the bottle to her left "this stuff would be perfect to help us loosen up for that." So it's alcohol then, I pray it's nothing too strong.
"I see, what kind is it exactly?"
"Sake, but not the kind from the human village, I brewed this myself with the help of some sparrows." She begins pouring it into one of the cups "Are you a drinker Okane?"
"Not necessarily, no. I very rarely indulge in alcohol"
"Hmm, well I suppose this works out either then"
"What do you mean?"
"I was planning to start selling this sake at the stall for a little while now, knowing how someone who doesn't drink thinks about it is invaluable" she slides the cup she poured into towards me and I take it. Looking inside, the drink doesn't look any different from regular sake. I take a sip of it, the flavor begins sweet then slowly turns into a bitter aftertaste; as I appraise it Mystia looks at me expectantly.
"So?" She speaks up "whaddya think?"
"I think it tastes fine, can't really say anything more, I lack the taste for these kinds of things" I hope that's a good enough explanation for her.
"I see" she pours some out for herself and takes a sip "yeah, I can sell this" she says with a satisfied look. "So, Okane, why don't you start us off and tell me a little about yourself?"
"Putting me on the spot first huh, I'll have you know I'm quite a dull individual, the customers we served tonight seemed livelier than I ever was" I scratch the back of my head.
"You are the first human I'm having this kind of talk with and on top of that you're an outsider, anything you tell me is bound to be intriguing in some way"
"If you say so" I began to tell her an abridged version of events in my life, answering her questions about me and the 'outside world' as she calls it whenever they come up. By the time I reached the point where I met Mystia, the both of us were a little intoxicated.
"Okaneeee~ why do ya like to wander so much at night?" Mystia's speaking ability had started to deteriorate somewhat and she was slightly swaying in her seat.
"Well, I was always a bit of a curious person since I was a boy, I liked to explore a lot. It got me into trouble a few times, that stopped for a bit when my mother threatened to put a leash on me. It didn't stop me for long though" I recall to her
"A leash you say? Fufu, not a bad idea~" she smirks at me
"Hoh? I'd like to see you try getting one on me" I smirk back at her
"Don't tempt me~" she downs her cup and lightly slams it back down on the table "Haah~ I guess it's finally my turn to tell you about me"
…
Most of what Mystia said I didn't really comprehend, half because of my current state of inebriation, and half because Mystia's speech had become slurred. What I was able to make out however made me realize just how strange of a world I have found myself in, apparently there are people who live on the moon, and that some of them were living in a bamboo forest somewhere. How there was a time when a ghost stole spring and made winter last longer than it should, another time when flowers from every season started blooming all at once, it all sounded straight out of a fairytale. I had grown drowsy while listening to Mystia and was finding it hard to sit upright in my chair. I decided I would call it a night here and head to bed before I regret it.
"Mystiaaaa, I think weee should call it a nighht here, I can barely understand youuuu" I struggle to say to her.
"Hmmmm? I suppose it's a bit late nowww, we drank most of the hic-sake anywayyy" she replied. I try to stand up but I lose my balance immediately and nearly fall over, Mystia laughs at me and does the same thing.
"Heheh, look at ya, can't even hic-walk straight anymore~!"
"Speak fer yerself birdbrain" I stumbled onto a nearby wall for support and began shuffling towards the hallway, Mystia had already beat me to it. She stopped at the doorway and turned around to look back at me
"Goodnight Okaneee~" she gives me a drunken smile and moves out of sight, the sound of her heavy disorderly footsteps reverberating through the hallway. I follow soon after and find my way to the lovely couch once more, I collapse onto it, not even bothering to cover myself with the blanket. I fall into a deep slumber moments after my head hits the pillow.
The next few days went by in a uniform manner: waking up in the morning and eating breakfast with Mystia, idling around at Mystia's home until nightfall while she went out and whatever it is that she does outside of running the food stall, running said stall with her at night, then returning home late and sleeping. I was also getting more comfortable around Mystia and was less anxious around her, and I suspect she was more accustomed to my presence in her life as well. I was even getting familiar with some of the regulars that come to the stall and was less apprehensive about approaching them during work. Days turned to weeks, which turned to 2 months, and I found myself immersed in this new routine. Mystia even brought me some books from the village so I wasn't too bored during the day while she was out, although what she does bring back is seemingly random, as if she only picked out ones that seemed interesting at a first glance.
I nearly forgot I was basically being held hostage by her at this point, it felt more like I was crashing at a friend's place. She didn't forget the part about letting me go at some point did she? Or is this part of some plot of hers to let my guard down? Because if it is, it's working frighteningly well. Perhaps I'm thinking too much about it, I won't have much control over what will become of me when that time comes around, I suppose I'll cross that bridge when it finally presents itself. I am wrenched out of my rumination by someone tapping me on the shoulder, I turn to my right and see Mystia looking at me with curiosity.
"You'll rapidly age scowling like that you know?" she tells me
"Wha?" I jump a little in surprise
"Something ruffling your feathers?"
"...Just thinking a little too hard about some unimportant things, that's all" I try to assure her, she looks at me for a moment, there appears to be some unidentifiable emotion behind it as I see her slightly tense up a little. I open my mouth to say something but she cuts me off
"I see…" she turns away from me and we continue to walk to her home in silence as usual.
…
I am sitting at the dining table waiting for Mystia, I already know what she's gone to fetch since we've done this multiple times now. Mystia seemed a little off this time though, she kept on looking at me and seemed a little hesitant to leave. I'm not exactly sure what's up with her, but I'm praying that it isn't about something I did. She finally returns with the usual bottle but she's darting her eyes around like she's nervous about something, she approaches the table slowly and sets the bottle down.
"Is something up?" I ask her
"Eh?" she freezes in place for a second and takes a seat "well, something like that" her gaze lowers.
"Is it bad?"
"No, nothing like that" she straightens up in her chair and looks into my eyes, the look on her face is apprehensive, with perhaps a slight hint of sadness. After a few long seconds of her staring at me, she says, "I've decided it's finally time to let you go."
"Okay?" her words don't register with me immediately, then it hits me "wait what?"
"Didn't you want to leave here so badly?" Mystia tilts her head at me
"Well yeah but- I…" my mind had unexpectedly become a mess at this conversation, I couldn't tell you exactly how I felt. I'm happy that I finally get to walk free but, a bit down that I'll have to leave behind this new life I've found for myself, and some other emotion I can't quite put my finger on. I try to organize my thoughts to little avail, I probably look like a mumbling mess right now trying to formulate something to say to her. I take a deep breath and clear my mind, I look Mystia in the eye and give her my answer.
"Is that so…" I say with a dejected tone, Mystia shuffles in her seat a little and clears her throat
"Ahem. I decided to have you leave tomorrow morning, so I thought it would be nice to share a drink one last time before you go." She tries to smile at me, I try to return it with one of my own
"I'll take you up on that offer then." We chatted and drank away through the night. I can't remember what we talked about, but we both seemed to be enjoying ourselves. It was over sooner than I thought, and I was already making my way to my trusty old companion, Mystia's couch. I lay myself down and look at the ceiling, thinking about how this is the last time I'll fall asleep looking at it. I let my exhaustion carry me over to the next day.
The morning I thought I'd never dread finally arrives, I slowly open my eyes and they're greeted with shades of pink and brown, and a face; as my eyes focus I recognize it as Mystia, she's wearing her usual brown dress and hat. She's sitting on the floor close to me and is staring at my face
"Mystia?" I ask through a drowsy voice, she smiles warmly at me and responds.
"Good morning, Okane." She gets up and dusts herself off and beckons me "come, let's eat breakfast together" she then begins walking out the room.
"Right" I get up and follow after her. Her behavior is strange this morning as well, as I noticed her looking at me the entire time I ate breakfast. I thought she was gonna say something so I kept silent and waited, but she never did. I finish my food and look back at her, she smiles at me when I do; yeah, something is definitely up with her.
"Is there something on my face?" I break the ice
"Mmm, no, there isn't. Please don't pay me any heed." She props her arm up on the table and rests her head in her hand while still gazing at me. This whole sitting and smiling act is beginning to unnerve me a little.
"...Okay?"
"Go gather your things, we'll be heading out shortly. I'll be waiting for you by the front door" she stands up and walks out of the room. It doesn't take long to pack my belongings, it's just two outfits after all. I meet Mystia by the front door, she seems to be fidgeting around with something in her hand, when she hears me approaching though she hides it behind her back.
"Ready to go?" she asks
"Yeah, let's get to it" I reply, the two of us head out onto the familiar trail I've walked down these past few weeks. I find it funny that I feel some sense of nostalgia for it, despite the fact I haven't lived here long enough to even warrant that. I match Mystia's pace and notice that she's walking slower than she usually does when we walk home from the stall. She is also walking closer beside me than before, close enough that I felt the tip of one of her wings tap me on the back a few times. When she starts humming it emphasizes just how little physical distance there is between us because sometimes it feels like she's doing it right next to my ear. After a few minutes of walking with her like this I decide to risk angering her and ask her about it.
"Hey uh, Mystia?" I grab her attention
"Hm?" she turns to look up at me with a blank expression "what is it Okane?" Ok she's not mad at me, which somehow distresses me even more than the time she snapped at me a few weeks ago for doing this exact same thing. I avoid her gaze and look forward, and try to let my burning question rise out of my throat.
"Aren't you a little bit uh, too close to me?" I let out with a bit of unease, it seems Mystia needs to take a moment to process what I just said, then she speaks up.
"Huh?" she pauses for a moment and realizes what i meant "o-oh…I see now" she takes a step away from me and puts some space between us. "Sorry, I didn't realize…Did it make you feel uncomfortable?" some emotion spread over her face, was that disappointment?
"Well, it's not that I felt uncomfortable per se, I just uh-noticed it and felt like pointing it out. That's all" I give her a slight reassuring smile. Her face brightened up when I said that
"Ah, okay then" she closes the distance between us and begins humming again. Well, I guess there's nothing wrong with it.
…
We eventually near the 'human village' Mystia told me about over the course of the last 2 months, looking at it makes me feel as though I've stepped into the past. I hear Mystia stop beside me and I turn to face her
"The human village is just ahead, it'll raise a lot of questions if I walk with you to the gate." Her smile is tinged with sadness as she says this "I cannot come with you past this point"
"So this is goodbye, then" I say with some hesitation
"Yes…It is"
"Okay then" the next few words I loathe to say to her, but part of me believes it has to happen, that it can only end like this. "Goodbye, Mystia"
"Goodbye…Okane" her expression was sorrowful, though she was able to smile at me through that. We give each other a small wave and I begin to part with her.
"Wait!" I hear her call to me after I take a few steps away from her, I stop dead in my tracks and look back at her, she appears to be shaking a little. She approaches me and presents something in her right hand "I…I want you to have this" I look at what she has in her hand, it appears to be a necklace with 3 white feathers attached to it.
"Are those-" I begin to ask but Mystia stops me
"Yes, those are my feathers, think of it as a memento for me" I take it from her hand and hold it by the feathers, they're unbelievably soft. She continues "I-If you tell them you're an outsider they can take you to Hakurei Shrine, they can send you back home from there. But… if you decide to stay in the village, I've told the youkai on the trail to not attack you if they see you wearing that necklace. So…" Her voice had become a bit shaky as she spoke "s-so if you choose to stay, will…" She almost seems like on the verge of tears now, she pinches my sleeve with her finger and thumb. She looks me straight in the eye and says "will I see you again?" I was taken by surprise by this sudden shift in mood, I didn't realize how much she didn't want to part with me. I give her a warm smile, my answer comes out naturally, as if I always wanted to say it all along.
"If I stay, I'll come visit, I promise" I extend my left hand towards Mystia, close it, and extend my pinky finger. She doesn't seem to understand my intent and looks at me funny, and I take this as a cue to explain "in human culture, it is sometimes custom to lock pinky fingers with each other when making a promise, as a way to swear not to break it." She understands and lets out a giggle
"I don't think I'll ever truly understand humans" she locks my pinky finger with hers "let's share a drink together again in the future."
"I'll look forward to it" seconds pass and we unlock our fingers
"Okay I've said what I wanted to, I shouldn't keep you here any longer" she backs away from me and waves "goodbye for real Okane, take care"
"Thank you for everything till now Mystia, and goodbye" I wave back at her and we go our separate ways. Never thought I would be missing her when I left. I approach the gate and see two men holding spears standing guard, they both see me and one calls out to me when I get closer.
"Halt! State your name and business here" he yells at me, I flinch a little and raise my hands up
"Oh uh, I'm Yasushi Okane, an outsider. I was hoping to seek refuge here" I state.
"An outsider?" the guard sizes me up and nods "wait here a moment while I fetch the village guardian" he opens up the gate and heads inside, leaving me outside with the other guard.
"Did you just come out of the Youkai Trail? How did you manage to get through in one piece?" He asks out of doubt. I let out a chuckle, which made him narrow his eyes at me a little. I open my mouth to speak
"It's a bit of a long story, would you care to listen?"