Chapter 7: In which Hijikata realizes a small missing detail in raising Kota
"Now this here's Kota-chan." Soft hands gently pushed me forward with an encouraging squeeze on my shoulders. "He's a bit shy, so take care of the dear, won't you?" The Obaa-san asked sweetly, voice full of expectance.
"Yes, Baa-san!" The crowd of children answered back.
Now, why am I surrounded by the said crowd of children? Well, the old market ladies worried that all that time spent sitting on the back of his vegetable cart would do no good to my social life, so they dragged me to play with the children. Or at least talk with them.
"..."
Not knowing what to do, I just stood there.
"..."
"Oh, my Lord," Itsuki sighed with pity at my inability to interact with the children. Cold hands which I guess could only belong to said ghost wrapped around my head in an overbearing hug as the boy rubbed his chin against the crown of my head as he exaggeratedly cried out. "Curse those vermin for imprisoning you like a common animal. Talking with others must be impossible for you now."
Oi, I'm awkward, not hopeless.
"C'mon, go talk to 'im." A boy whispered with an encouraging tone to someone. Other voices chimed in with words of agreement, and soon enough, the sound of someone being shoved in front made it apparent they elected someone to be their ambassador of choice.
"Would you stop pushin' already! I got it!" A boy whispered after being elbowed in the ribs by a nearby child. He nervously coughed before starting. "U-um, hello!"
I nodded in greeting and tried to sound as smooth as possible with the arsenal of words I could say without sounding like a seventy-year-old chain smoker. Even so, it was hard to keep my tone pleasant, so I opted for a low volume.
"Hello, my name is Kota."
"Way to go, my Lord!"
Shut. Up.
"Huh?" He leaned in closer to hear me better. "What'd you say?"
Using my left hand since the other one held my walking stick, I cupped it around my mouth and tried to speak louder, fruitless as my efforts might be. "Hello, my name is Kota."
"Huh?"
"He said his name's Kota, you idiot. Mako-basan literally told us his name." A girl hissed to him, elbowing him in the ribs.
He let out a yelp of pain before swatting her away. "Oh shut up, Hana. I knew that."
"Sure you did." The eye-roll was audible.
Just as the two were about to throw hands, one of the other kids cleared their throat.
"Oh!" The boy immediately his attention back to me and introduced himself a bit sheepishly. "Nice to meet ya, Kota-chan! My name's Rei! You can call me Nii-chan since you're going to be our little brother from now on!"
"Nii-chan?"
"Now hold on—!" Itsuki started, offended on my behalf by how familiar the boy was being towards his Lord.
Seeing my head tilted in question, someone behind Rei quickly explained.
"Well, since everyone knows each other here, the village is one big family. So we're all brothers and sisters here. And since you're the newest boy, and also the youngest, you're now our younger brother. That makes me your Nee-chan too!"
It wasn't that different from how I was raised to address my siblings and friends, so I had no problems with it. I nodded. "Okay."
Seeing my amicable reaction, the ghost grumbled. "Well if my Lord is okay with it.
"Say, ya wanna go play with us?" One of the boys asks, curiously.
"Absolutely not!" The annoying ghost shouted, wrapping himself around me in an overprotective hold as if to shield me from such a suggestion.
I squeezed my walking stick and shook my head. Physical activities were a no-go. And my lack of sight would only be made worse in a new area.
"Why?" They asked, confused and understandably a bit unhappy by the refusal.
"Can't do much. Don't think will be fun for you." I rasped out, trying to pace myself so I didn't mess up my words. There was no lie in my answer; my body still felt like shit, so running or excess movement felt like hell.
"That's okay," Rei tried to assure me, thinking of an alternative. "We can just sit and play the story game."
I perked up intrigued by his suggestion. "Story game?" Now that sounds interesting.
"Mmhm!" Another piped up, a girl this time. "It's where we sit in a circle and make a story together. We start with one person, and add more with each turn."
As the pieces came together, I nodded my head. Now, this was a game I could enjoy. "Fun."
Seeing my excitement, the children agreed on a spot before rushing off to start the game, leaving me behind in the dust.
"Wha-! Hold on!" Itsuki shouted uselessly after the children. "You forgot my Lord."
What am I? Chopped liver?
A second later, footsteps made their way back to me in haste. It was Rei.
"Haha, sorry about that Kota-chan!" He sheepishly giggled, and before I could react, strong arms lifted me onto a child's back. The bells on my mask sweetly tinkled from the sudden movement. My hand loosened around my walking stick, which would've clattered on the ground if it weren't for the boy catching it in my place. "Oop, don't worry, Kota-chan. I got your walking stick, so no worries. It's safe and sound in my hand."
What a kind boy. He's endearingly bright. "Thanks."
"It's no problem," He assured, "Just hang on tight."
"O—" Before I could finish, the sprite boy sped off into the street like death was at his heels, zooming past the vendors, customers, and occasional Baa-san.
"Oi! Slow down ya brat! You'll break my Lord's neck at that speed!" Itsuki screeched, appalled at how fast we were going. If there was a single scratch on the boy, he'd never forgive himself; not to mention, the whipping he'll get from the others.
The only thing my hands could do at the moment was wrap themselves around his throat in a death hold, so as not to lose balance and tip over.
Fingers crossed the kid doesn't slip.
"With four arms the size of a tree trunk and teeth sharp as needles, the monster climbs the forest trees and..."
One of the girls took the next turn. "Its, uh, six eyes were as dark as the river during high tide and it ate..." The children turned silent meaning I was next.
"Bell peppers." I offered.
"Ooh, good choice!"
They nodded with approval." Bell peppers," was echoed back with the vehemence of years full of being forced to scarf down such a horrible thing. It made sense that such a fearsome monster would eat such a fearsome vegetable.
Before we could continue the story of the monster in the Blue Tree Forest, I could hear the amused laughter of my guardian come from behind me.
His hand affectionately rubbed my head. "Oho, is our little Kota-chan playing well?"
"Mm."
"That's good; glad to see you kids getting along well."
"Hijikata-ojisan, Kota-chan's suuuuper smart!" Rei exclaimed.
"Hmph! Of course he is!"
"Yeah! It only took a few guesses to figure out how to write our names. Look, look!" The others shifted away to show him the evidence of our impromptu writing session carved into the dirt.
Hijikata gave an impressed whistle at the sight, marveling at how neatly each character was written.
"Did you have fun, Kota-chan?"
Did I?
I tilted my head in thought. The sound of children playing, women gossiping, and men laughing were present; completely different from the humble quiet of the mountain devoid of much human life aside from just the two of us. The contrast brought a sudden ache in my heart, tugging at my memories from before.
"Mm."
I guess I did.
"And done!" Wiping the sweat off his brow, Hijikata turned toward my curious self sitting on the mat he placed on the grass, hands busying themselves with a new basket, and walked over. He didn't bother giving me a warning before he lifted me up and balanced me on his hip. "Come on, I wanna show you something."
Itsuki, of course, was excited. "Guys, guys, it's happening!"
"Oh, I'm so excited," Hana said.
Takashi and Ina just hummed with amusement.
For the past week, the man had been working on a project by himself, chuckling in answer whenever I asked about the details. Not even the ghosts spilled any details.
"Just wait." Was his eventual answer.
Before he let me down, he made sure I had a steady grip on my cane. "Here," Taking my hand, Hijikata guided it to what he wanted me to touch.
Curious, I closed my fingers around where I guessed the mysterious thing was. My first attempt failed with only my knuckle touching something light; the next attempt, however, succeeded.
It felt like a rope and was connected to a wooden pillar, the other end held up to what was likely another pillar. I slid my fingers to the wooden pillar, touching the peculiar grooves carved into the top. The top of the groove felt like the pointed tip of a triangle, panning out before shaping into a square. It almost seemed like a—
"House?"
Hijikata nodded with an encouraging hum. "Go on."
At his excited encouragement, I followed the rope down the path, feeling the intricate knots marking each direction.
"Garden." A carrot.
"Well." A bucket.
"Bath." A washrag. (I won't lie, that one was a hit or miss.)
The next one was a bit harder than the rest to figure out, but the scent of metal and dirt helped quite a bit.
"...Shed?" I asked, more than stated.
Not hearing a hum from Hijikata, I got worried and turned around, only for a pair of arms to pull me high in the air. Before I could let out a surprised sound, my legs found their place on a familiar set of shoulders.
"Hijikata!"
The man laughed at my shaken state, not even trying to dodge my petulant smacks to his head.
"Haha, sorry, sorry! You're just so cute when you're focused, I couldn't help myself."
"Hmph." The nerve.
He patted my legs for me to stop the onslaught of smacks before starting to move. The sudden movement caused me to cling to his head and neck.
"You know, Kota-chan, I actually need my eyes to see the path." Hijikata teased.
"Hmph." Annoyed, I moved my arms away from his eyes, but still clung to the rest of his head.
"You did a good job so far, Kota-chan. I kinda realized that if you're going to live on this mountain with me, you're gonna need a little help to navigate yourself around the area. The ba-sans had a hell of a time chewing me out when I told them I hadn't made one yet, haha. Not gonna lie, that one's on me. Sorry 'bout that, Kota-chan. Betcha felt cooped up being stuck in the house all the time, huh?" Hijikata apologized sheepishly. "I'm thinking about putting up some more guides around the house, but I need to show you one last guide before I do. It's really important, so make sure to ingrain it into your head, okay?"
I nodded my head. "Kay."
Atop his shoulders, I could feel the sun's rays warming up my hands and face, cold from the chilly mountain air; it was a reprieve from the usual hustle and bustle of the day.
The farther Hijikata walked, the quieter the trickle of the spring was until it was just a white noise in the background. When the man stopped, he maneuvered me back into his arms and took my left hand. Bending over a bit, he brought my hands over to what felt like another pillar.
"What does it feel like?" He asked patiently.
"An x?"
"Good, good." His hand patted my head at the correct answer. "If you come across any guides with this sign alone, don't go any further than this point."
"Why?"
"My wards aren't as strong past this point, you see; although this whole mountain is protected, the wards past this guide aren't as guarded. In fact, if you're far enough to come across this guide, walk back home immediately."
"Kay."
"He's right," Ina agreed. "Hopefully, nothing of extenuating circumstances will happen to force him to flee the mountain."
"I second that," Takashi added. "Be a problem if he left."
Immediately, I knocked on the wooden pillar, startling Hijikata.
Did they not know about jinxes? Sheesh.
2 years later~
"Kota-chan! Kota-chan! Tell us a story!" A girl tugs on my robe, soon joined by more small hands on the edge of the cloth.
"Kota-chan, please!"
"Tell us another story, Kota-chan!"
The sudden pull on my hanten almost made me lose my balance if it wasn't for a hand pulling me upright by the shoulder.
"Back off guys, you almost made him fall." A voice reprimanded from above me. The scent of iron and coal swept to my nose as a hand patted my shoulder. "You alright there, Kota-chan?"
With a nod, I straightened myself up. " Yeah, I'm okay, Rei-nii. Just surprised—ah." My mind short-circuited for a moment as I realized my walking stick was no longer held in my left hand. The bells on my mask jingled as I turned my head in a small panic. I must've dropped it in surprise.
Just before I was about to drop down and feel around for it, a familiar grip was pushed into my hand.
"Here you go, Kota-chan," One of the children offered with a guilty tone. "We're sorry, we didn't mean to make you fall." They apologized sheepishly. "We just wanted you to tell us a story, that's all. Honest."
"Okay, okay. I'll forgive you. Just so long as Hana-chan plays me that pretty flute her father gifted her last month. Deal?"
Hana giggled from where she was standing with the rest of the children, "Deal!"
"Well alright then," I decided, patting the dirt off my sleeves. "Let's move to somewhere less crowded, okay? Lead the way, Rei-nii."
"Got it." The grinning boy answered, a sliver of giddiness barely tracing his voice as he quickly grabbed my free hand and gently tugged me to a corner of the market. The other children cheered as they followed behind for a story.
After an hour of storytelling at the children's behest (they liked hearing anything with a happy ending, so it wasn't hard to pull up any from memory), the children dispersed at their parents' calls to come back inside for lunch. I was in luck that they did, my voice was getting a bit dry.
Rubbing my throat, I waved them a cheery goodbye.
"Y'know, you should take better care of yourself, my Lord," Itsuki complained, a pout to his whine.
"Yer gonna run yer throat dry one of these days," Takashi grunted.
I just gave them a noncommittal hum, already used to their fussing.
Hana and Ina were back at home since it was their turn to take care of the house today, so I was stuck for these two.
"Ne, Kota-chan, Okaa-san wanted to know if you wanna come over for lunch today. She's making cold soba noodles today."
"If Hijikata-ojisan says yes, I will."
"Okay, let's get going then."
"Kay."
"Should we-?"
"Oh, let 'im live a little, Itsuki! A lil' lunch won' harm anyone."
"If you say so."
I no longer need someone's hand to guide me, but I took Rei's offered hand anyways; he was too used to taking care of his younger siblings, so he always held one out on reflex. Who was I to embarrass him?
As we passed the usual vendors, my ears picked up on some new gossip.
"Hey, Nana, d'you hear about the visiting shaman?"
"Hm? You mean the man from this morning?"
"Mm-hm! I heard from Akemi working at the oden stall that he goes by Fude, no surname. Apparently, he's come here to rest after taking care of a dangerous spirit a couple towns away."
"Really?"
"Oh yeah. Even got himself an adorable student-"
My eavesdropping was cut short when Rei suddenly stopped walking, leading me to bump face-first into his back.
Puzzled, I tugged on his hand. "What's wrong, Rei-nii?"
"Hold on," The boy pulled me over to a corner and knelt down. "There's someone talking to Hijikata-ojisan." He took another look over the wall.
"And?" If it weren't for obvious reasons, he would've seen my raised brow.
"And he looks really sketchy." A new voice added, startling Rei from his hiding place with a squeak.
"Hana," Rei whined, "Don't startle me like that. I thought you went back home to eat?"
Hana giggled into her hand and raised a box up for Rei to see, "Kaa-san gave me a bento today since she's really busy today."
A thought popped up, "Oh, they got that new shipment of dyes right?"
"Yep, Kaa-san and the other ladies are gonna be busy for the next few days since they're dyeing the fabrics right now. She says she's gonna make a new yukata for me in time for the summer festival."
Shifting from her crouched position with us, she peered over the wall. "So what's the deal with the weirdo?"
"Weirdo?"
Rei made an agreeing sound. "Yeah, he's wearing a really big hat and holding a funny-looking stick."
"A staff?" I suggested, joining the other two by the wall; absentmindedly, my fingers felt over the rough surface of the wall. It was cool to the touch and had a few cracks running through it "Maybe it's for ceremonies?"
"Sure looks fancy enough for it." Hana agrees, propping her chin on her palm.
I hear Rei shake his head. "Nah, I think he fights with it."
"That stick? " Hana snorts loudly, disbelief coloring her tone. "I doubt it."
Tilting my head, I tried to imagine what it looked like. "Who knows, Hana-nee; shamans live mysterious lives, after all. I bet there's even a super-secret society made up of shamans. What do you guys think?" I turned my attention back to them for their answers, only to hear the sounds of scuffling fists against flesh.
"-nd how would you know he doesn't use it-ack. "
"Ha! Just look at that skinny thing! I bet I could snap it in half-ow!"
"Hehe, young love. This takes me back." Takashi chuckled, reminiscing his own past.
Itsuki gagged at his words. "Ew, Takashi-san. That's so gross ."
"Oh, I'm sure you'll be changin' yer tune once ya meet a pretty-lookin' spirit."
"Augh! Romance, schmomance; I'm gonna vomit if you keep talking like that."
Sighing, I picked up my walking stick, the bells (added on by Hijikata for locating purposes) tinkling from the movement, and lifted it above my head. A moment passed before the roughhousing duo broke apart for a second, allowing me a free window of opportunity.
"Guys," Quick as a whip, my hand brought the stick between the two with a sharp fwip, separating them before they upped their antics to a louder brawl. "Cut it out, you're disturbing everyone here."
Said witnesses to their brawl laughed with amusement, causing the two to fluster with embarrassment at the reminder.
"Sheesh, alright, alright, Kota-chan. Whatever you want." Hana conceded, hands raised in a placating gesture.
Wiping the dirt off his nose, which was kindly bestowed upon him via face-plant, Rei nodded along. "Yeah, sorry, Kota-chan."
Before I could change the subject and move on, I heard Itsuki and Takashi choke on their spit.
"Shit!"
"Lad, get out of there qui-!"
Wondering what could've been so unsettling for the two ghosts to sound so unnerved and scared, I turned back to the wall, only for me to faceplant into a wall. Not the wall the two were looking over before, oh no. This wall was covered with cloth and was loads softer than the stone wall; nonetheless, it was still mighty hard.
Surprised, I froze, my body unable to move a muscle, so I knelt there awkwardly, mask pressed against the strange wall. It was weirdly warm too since I could feel my mask heat up from the contact; and if I focused, I could hear the familiar pumping of a heart.
"You know," The wall spoke, each word vibrating through my mask. I could hear Rei and Hana gasp at the sudden presence, both just as shocked as me. It had a sarcastic drawl in its young male voice. "For a bunch of eavesdroppers," A hand clamped onto my head and tilted it back, "You really suck at staying quiet."