His arms had mostly healed from the fox fire, though certain spots still felt sensitive as the layers of fabric rubbed against them. Kayo had been insistent on tending to them, the medicine seller taking the opportunity to teach her about some of the burn ointments and treatments he knew. He didn't sell many of that sort of ointment, but it was good to have in their secondary line of work.
Kayo fanned herself with the round uchiwa fan. Traveling in summer was miserable, especially in the western regions, but they had to go where business called. She peered at the medicine seller, who looked completely unfazed by the heat despite wearing several layers of kimono. He stood on a cobbled street of the large city, staring up at a sign intently. He wasn't as focused on the characters as the supernatural feeling scratching at the back of his mind. Something was here or nearby. It could simply be a yokai, but there could be something more.
"Riichi Mahjong Parlor," Kayo read the sign. "Something interesting about it?"
"Perhaps," he replied vaguely.
Kayo frowned. It was that enigmatic response again. She had never seen him do anything fun, but a merchant didn't really have a lot of time for diversions. When they weren't busy trying to make a sale, there were always mononoke to fight.
She peered at him some more. Either he wanted to play or he thought of a possible sale. Perhaps there was something supernatural, but she didn't want to think about that. "Do you-"
"A medicine seller! Perfect!"
Kayo huffed for being interrupted, but the young woman in the purple flower kimono seemed intent on business. She had the fashionable updo hairstyle that many women sported, with a number of hair ornaments to indicate she was of a higher class than the pair she approached.
"Do you have wards?" the woman questioned quietly.
"I do," he replied simply.
Kayo peered at the woman from beside the medicine seller, concerned by the specifics of the wording. She wasn't certain how many medicine sellers carried something other than medicines and things like teas, but this one definitely had a plethora of questionable and supernatural material within the drawers of the medicine chest backpack. "Is… is something wrong?"
The woman glanced back and forth, trying not to garner the attention of passers by that may potentially wish to play mahjong. "Come inside," she quickly beckoned them, ducking into the alleyway and opening a side door.
"Do you think it could be you-know-what?" Kayo whispered to him.
"Hard to say," he replied simply, heading down the alleyway.
She understood the answer. People were incredibly paranoid, and the more she traveled with the medicine seller, the more this became clear.
She slid the side door shut as the pair came inside. The back room was a simple kitchen with a singular table. Some of the cabinets had a broken hinge. Dishes were stacked on the counters, some with cracks in them.
"Please pardon the mess," the woman apologized. "It's part of the problem."
"Oh?" the medicine seller questioned as he set the chest down.
"For a week now, there have been strange times when food simply disappears or the cabinets are broken," the woman explained. "Hiroshi is certain that it's simply cats who get in at night, but I'm certain I've heard something behind me. My neighbor Chima suggested seeking out a medicine seller who might have wards to protect our food."
The medicine seller knelt down, hooking a finger into the handle of one of the upper drawers. "What do you believe it is?"
"A yokai," the woman replied bluntly. "There are rumors around the city that our parlor is haunted, and Hiroshi is worried that it will hurt business."
"And Hiroshi is your... brother?" Kayo questioned, noticing how informally she was speaking about him.
"He's my husband," the woman corrected her. "My name is Tsuma. We've been married for some time after I inherited the parlor from my late father. He's been so anxious lately. He knows as well as I that we cannot lose this parlor."
The medicine seller pushed a few things here and there, pulling out a small bird-like charm on a string with a bell. It looked similar to the scales he used but more birdlike and in blue. "Hang this over your door. If a yokai enters, it will ring. If it is simply a cat, it will not make a sound, though I cannot say the cat will not attempt to play with the bell." A slight grin tugged at the ends of his mouth, amused by the thought of a cat scaling a door frame to catch the bell.
Tsuma shuffled over, taking the charm in hand, observing how pretty it was. "And if it is a yokai?"
"It would depend on the type," he replied. "Yet from the description, it sounds more of a nuisance than a harmful visitor. Leaving scraps outside your door may suffice."
Tsuma stared at the charm some more, watching the bell jingle as it swayed a bit ain her grasp. It seemed simple enough, but she was still concerned about the whole scenario.
"Tsuma, we need-" The door to the kitchen slid open, and the man halfway entering halted to a stop when he saw there were guests. "A medicine seller and his wife?"
"Apprentice," Kayo corrected him.
"I see," he cleared his throat. "My dear, are you still on this yokai thing?"
"This will help us find who's destroying our kitchen each day, Hiroshi," Tsuma asserted, fishing a stool out of the corner. Setting it by the doorway, she hung the charm on a small nail, flicking it to make it jingle before hopping off the stool. "We can quell those rumors around town."
"Those rumors are already making waves," Hiroshi sighed. "We still can't fill all our tables. We have regulars and we're still short two."
"Again?" Tsuma sighed. "And I have so much to do after this mess."
Hiroshi pursed his lips a bit. "Medicine seller! Do you know how to play?"
"I do," he replied simply.
"So you do know how to have fun!" Kayo teased.
"Uh oh, you caught me," he smirked a bit, amused. "Miss Kayo, would you mind handling some basic warding? Though it may simply be a cat."
She had no idea what to do if a yokai did show up. Sure, she'd learned a lot from the medicine seller over the past few months about different classifications and types of yokai, more about the scales and types of wards, but actually facing a yokai was a different story. They still frightened her at times. Most of the time.
He leaned over, placing a hand on her shoulder before standing up wordlessly. It was the closest thing she had to a hint that he suspected something, but even after traveling with him, she still had trouble understanding how he thought or worked. She still wasn't sure what he was or if he had a name. Yet that one action told her he felt something was there and trusted her enough to handle the situation.
She swallowed a bit hard, remembering those doll mononoke, but she was his apprentice. She didn't have magic or supernatural abilities like he did, but that didn't mean she couldn't handle this. She tied back her sleeves. "I'll handle it. Miss Tsuma, do you have any salt?"
He offered Kayo the slightest of grins as he left the room. He did sense something, yet he still wasn't certain what. It could simply be spirits or something harmless clamoring about. The parlor seemed to have its own squeaks and creaks, indicating its age. He found himself idly pondering what this parlor once was before mahjong had crept its way over to Japan.
The parlor itself seemed rather empty, with one singular table occupied by a man and a woman with the mahjong tiles set up, waiting for players to arrive.
"Pardon the wait," Hiroshi apologized. "I've brought a new player this time."
"A medicine seller?" the woman in the decorative red kimono with brilliant flowers in her hair questioned.
The medicine seller offered a polite bow proper of his status. "Greetings."
"Well this could be interesting," the man in the kimono with ginko leaf crests mused.
"Do you really think so, Mr. Junsuke?" the woman questioned.
"He could bring a new strategy to the table, Miss Tama," Junsuke replied, "given that he knows more than the basics."
"I am familiar with many win conditions," the medicine seller informed them, sitting on his feet at the low table. Riichi Mahjong required certain conditions to win a round, much like a game of rummy or gin the rare foreigner liked to play. He hadn't played for some time, but he had played enough times to know the most common and valuable win conditions.
But he wasn't as focused on the win conditions as much as the atmosphere. Despite the parlor being empty, he felt like something else was here, something supernatural. It was entirely possible that a yokai was destroying their kitchen, but the presence seemed to permeate throughout much of the building. He glanced at each one of his companions. Any one of them could be carrying that supernatural scent.
He returned his focus to his hand, organizing the tiles into runs, pairs and groups. He didn't have much, but it was just the start of the game. And a few draws later, he didn't have much better, but he wasn't at a loss just yet. "Pon," he called, reaching across the table to take a discarded tile from Junsuke.
"An interesting play from an interesting man," Junsuke commented.
"There's nothing interesting about me," the medicine seller protested, placing his set of three tiles off to the side.
The door to the parlor slid open, Tsuma stepping in with a tray full of sweets. "I hope you all enjoy today's selection of treats."
"Oh you spoil us, Ms. Tsuma," Tama practically melted into the floor pillow as Tsuma placed the tray on the table.
Kayo padded in behind her, settling down next to the medicine seller. She leaned in, whispering into his ear. "I set up the salt barriers, but the bell started ringing without disturbing them then disappeared. I think it's already inside."
"You have such a lovely wife!" Tama exclaimed.
"Apprentice," the medicine seller corrected her. Kayo's information had confirmed what he'd been feeling.
"Oh you are intriguing," Tama looked far too pleased.
"I think you're mistaken," the medicine seller shook his head.
"A humble medicine seller," Hiroshi mused.
Kayo glanced back and forth at the group gathered around the table. They certainly seemed interested in the medicine seller, and she honestly couldn't blame them. He claimed to be uninteresting but he was everything but dull. She was intrigued herself, and she still didn't have answers.
"Excuse me for a moment," Tsuma interrupted, ducking out the door and sliding it shut. She shuffled off in the opposite direction of the kitchen.
Kayo watched her go, concerned that she shouldn't leave Tsuma alone. Yet as she glanced at the medicine seller, she noticed how intently he was watching the rest of the table. Something here intrigued him and she wanted to stick close to what was intriguing in case it really was a yokai or a mononoke. It was safer next to the medicine seller.
The table lurched for a moment, shifting from its original position just a little to the left. Kayo leapt, clinging to the medicine seller's arm. He quickly leapt up, taking Kayo with him as the table flipped over, scattering the tiles in all directions as some strange black tendril reached upwards from between the tatami mats.
"What is that thing?!" Tama screeched as she rolled backwards in surprise.
The medicine seller stared at the tendril, observing the flailing tendril. "A mononoke."
...
Author's musings
When I was looking for a traditional game, my first thought was Japanese-style mahjong. It's an enjoyable, challenging strategy game that plays a lot like gin or rummy. So I started writing this with the knowledge of playing this game weekly, but after some research, I found that riichi mahjong did not appear in history until early 1900s and that's well after the Edo Era. Oops.
Well it was easier to write about than hanafuda, which would've been more accurate. That card game has so many flavors and designs, I got lost! So mahjong it is.
I wonder what mononoke has invaded this mahjong parlor!
