Scenes from Shibuya

Disclaimer: The characters of Ghost Hunt do not belong to me and are the property of their respective creators.

Thank you very much for your reviews! Now we're back on to some of the other characters.

6. Slanderous

Takigawa Houshou did not believe in fortune telling. To put it more exactly, he suspected half of the touts on the streets claiming to have the third eye, inner vision etc to be fraudulent and the other half comprising of madmen and perhaps, (Houshou was a generous man) conceding to the statistical possibility of one or two authentic mediums.

This however, did not mean the old woman on the streets loitering outside the sweeping entrance to the Meiji Shrine was a genuine seer even if she had a dirty stack of tarot cards with her. Ignoring her, Houshou had barely stepped under the large red torii when she blocked his way. "You've tough times ahead young man," she announced in a loud, carrying voice that seemed at odds with her wizened appearance.

"No I don't," he muttered.

"Pick a card. I'm not usually wrong," she said.

"I'm broke. Do find someone else to con."

Her eyes glittered. "No, no, it's absolutely free. I don't charge those who are due for misfortune," she said.

"That makes me feel better already," he grumbled as he picked a card from near the top of the deck.

"Oho! See I was right! It's the Nine of Wands. Gambatte, young man. You'll need all your wits about you," she cackled as she flipped over the second card. "And there's a woman involved. My, my. It's really not going to be your day is it?"

Woman? What woman? He shrugged. The old woman patted him kindly. "Well, thanks for the warning," he said dubiously.

"Good luck," she said. "Not that me saying it would help anything…"

The teahouse was jam-packed. Was it his imagination or was every table booked? So much for a quiet breakfast. He'd been looking forward to visiting this place for a week now, a craving that had only been exacerbated by the cold and wet of camping out in an alien cemetery. All the same, here he was now and he flashed a grin at the pretty waitress in the kimono as she showed him to a corner seat by the verandah. The waitress giggled bashfully. "Let me know when you're ready to order, sir."

He held up a hand. "Ah, wait please. I already know what I want. Can you get me a coffee and a tamagoyaki breakfast?"

She bowed. "Hai. Right away," she smiled. "Please help yourself to the green tea in the meanwhile."

Leaning into his plush seat, Houshou grinned after her. Ah, civilization. It was good to be back in Tokyo where there was good food served up on a platter, gigs to attend and women to flirt with... speaking of which, his eyes followed the new lady who had just walked in.

Her soft brown eyes moved over the tables uncertainly. "Oh dear… I should have checked first…" he heard her murmur as she rummaged in her bag, her dark hair falling in loose curls over her heart-shaped face. Now, Houshou was not the sort to pick up ladies in random teahouses, but he felt himself softening a little at the sight of her prettily creased brow, her slightly lost expression.

"Excuse me, would you like to have a seat here first?"

Getting up, he offered her a smooth bow. The woman looked up in surprise. "There's space for two," he explained as he leaned roguishly by the chair and beamed. The woman blushed as she slid into the chair opposite his.

"Oh, er, thank you. I'm sorry, it's just that I hadn't expected it to be so crowded," she murmured shyly. "My sempai gave me such vague directions I wasn't even sure I was in the right place."

"Oh, were you with someone?" he asked quickly. It would be bad if his new acquaintance's senior turned out to be some muscle-bound possessive type. The woman shook her head, her black curls bouncing lightly. "Oh, not at the moment. Sempai said she's running late, which is why I came in first."

Ah, it was a she. He relaxed slightly.

"I see. Is it your first time h…?"

The woman blushed again. "Well, the others didn't turn out so well… and the last was pretty noisy, if you get what I mean…"

Houshou nodded sagely. "Yeah, no one appreciates old school teahouses anymore," he said feelingly. His table mate blinked rapidly. "Oh no, I mean…" she started to say when another woman barreled down onto their table.

"You!" she demanded in a tone that suggested that he had better have a good reason for his present state of being. "What are you doing here with Miwako?"

"Ayako?" Miwako smiled in surprised delight. "I didn't know you knew each other. I had the impression you didn't know Takashi."

"He isn't Takashi,' she said icily. "Takashi, your date is waiting over there." They all turned to look where she was pointing at a young man nervously adjusting his sweater.

"But… there must be some mistake. This gentleman kindly offered me a seat and I…" Miwako trailed off as she fumbled in her bag again, this time fetching out a pair of spectacles. As she did so, Houshou stared at Ayako's frigid demeanour with the sinking feeling that somehow, he'd been the victim of an irony.

When Miwakp peered through them, she gulped. "Oh dear. I've quite embarrassed myself haven't I?" she said, blushing earnestly. Meanwhile, Ayako was tapping her foot, and she looked at him sneeringly.

"I never knew you were that into young girls," she said. "Mai is family I suppose, but strangers?"

"Mai's seventeen! Your friend here can't be that young!" Miwako looked shocked and he could feel himself bursting into a hasty babble. "No, no, I mean, I was just doing what any ordinary courteous citizen would do! The teahouse was full and she didn't have a seat…"

"So," Ayako's face was mask-like. "I see. You're one of those men who like their women hapless."

"I never –

"Come on Miwako. Now that you know the face of a middle-aged pervert, please avoid them in future…" she said as she steered the young lady gently towards Takashi. "Now, why don't you have a nice chat while I deal with him."

Takigawa shivered at the ominous look directed at him. The waitress was back with his food and she flashed him a playful grin as she placed her food in front of him. "Please enjoy your meal, dana-san," she said coyly. Houshou could feel twin pairs of female eyes searing into him.

"On second thought," he waved her back weakly, "could you pack it away for me?"

Back outside, the old lady was waiting for him. "What did I say?" she said triumphantly into his mournful face. "I'll even offer you free advice. Harajuku…"

"Ahh! No time! Thanks!" he yelled (he'd spotted Ayako rushing out after him), and tossed his breakfast at her before dashing off at breakneck speed. She snorted. "I haven't finished speaking yet. Ah well. I suppose fish can't be too harmful," she added dubiously as she reshuffled her cards.