All of her thoughts had been on Marie that day. Marie. What a beautiful and exotic name. Maybe she herself was a foreigner, a Eurasian maybe, and that's why her outfit was so strange. Her name sounded French and she thought of the French girls portrayed in old books with huge rounded curls and even bigger dresses. Did Marie dress like that back home?

Marie occupied her thoughts, but what also occupied her thoughts were what she wanted to do for work. Surely not the inn, she didn't want to be tied to that throughout her life. What jobs were available for her though? Women didn't work, that wasn't their position. They were to foster healthy sons for the nation and make good wives. They didn't work, and were very rarely seen outside of the home. It's why almost every time she went outside she was accompanied by some sort of chaperone to protect her. She'd need one today, so she laid back in bed and tried to use the mental link Chie told her about.

Hanamura-kun? Narukami-kun?

Both answered quickly.

I….I'm looking for work. Can one of you help me figure out what's looking?

Aren't you busy enough at the inn? Yu wondered.

Yes, but…I don't want to be trapped or fussed over anymore. I need to explore what's actually out there.

Girls working?! That's funny. Yosuke laughed.

I got a new job. I'll pick you up later when I leave for it. Yu promised.

I'll escort you around now if you need! I'm not busy! Yosuke said.

Thank you. She let herself be dressed in her peony kimono, meeting up with Yosuke and walking to the town message board with him. She noticed that out of uniform, he wore Western clothes, just like Yu did. That made sense, as the only men she knew who still wore kimono constantly were her father and Sir Kanji of course. He didn't have his bicycle with him that time, so they just walked, him slightly in front of her while she walked behind, her hands folded in front of her.

"Here you go! Just pick one that looks interesting!" He gestured to the board with a flourish. Yukiko read the papers, frowning at how much of the text was made up of characters she couldn't read.

"What's a translator do?"

"Translate Japanese into English, French, and Dutch." Yosuke read.

"Most of these aren't for women…there's a nursing one but I don't want to be around bodily fluids or wear a uniform…." She sighed. "Is there really nothing for me?"

"Supposedly this board changes a lot. You can always come back some other day to see what's new!"

"Maybe. Perhaps I should just see where Yu-kun works." She offered him a smile. "How's it going with Chie?"

"I-In what way?!" He sputtered out. She laughed.

"You two just seem close is all."

"I ruined a book she likes by mistake but luckily Dad saved me by buying a new one! Her face lit up in shock when I gave it to her this morning! You should've seen the look on her face!"

"Your father could afford such a thing?"

"Obviously! Though now I have to repay him by working extra shifts at Junes. Guess that's fair but still."

The two began the long walk back to her home. "Hear anything interesting?"

"There's some gangs running around causing trouble. Don't know the finer details except they vandalize property and run up and down the streets, shouting and banging lids."

It was interesting, but didn't concern her. At least, that's what the older Yukiko would've told herself. Now, she had to always be acutely aware of everything to save people who might get tossed into the Other Realm. Save them like she herself was saved.

"And, supposedly, they got beat off by a younger guy in town! I never got his name but one of the other workers at Junes said he's a hellion!"

"Maybe the paper will mention it." She suggested, bowing formally to Yosuke in thanks before she headed back home, being picked up by Yu an hour later.

"Don't let the kids scare you." He said as they walked through town and up a hill where a small white building was. Outside in the fenced-in yard were a few kids running around, the boys in suits and the girls in dresses. "They're a tad spoiled but they're nice."

"Do you like kids?" Yukiko asked nicely, awkwardly standing because there were no seats for her, just the Western benches. Yu's face lit up at the question.

"Yes! Always have and when I saw this job was hiring, I jumped at it. I love being around kids and helping to care for them!"

"You're a very kind person." She said sincerely.

The kids mostly kept to themselves, but a few would run up to Yukiko just to stare at her.

"You look like a princess!"

"So pretty…."

"A Japanese girl!" The girls cooed.

"My daddy says the West's ruining us by making our men soft and our women whores." One boy said very matter-of-factly that Yukiko choked.

"You said a naughty word!" His friend hissed.

"Whatever!" He turned to look at Yukiko again. "He'd think you were really pretty. He might've married you if he never met Mommy!" The two boys ran off to play together. Meanwhile, Yu was running around with some other kids, laughing uproariously as they chased him in a game of tag.

"Chase me!"

"You can't catch me!" The kids laughed.

"Whoa!" Yu slipped and stepped hard in a mud puddle, staining the outside of his pants, yet he kept laughing. Yukiko laughed too, his good mood infectious. Due to her awkward stance, none of the children asked to play with her, they only gawked. After the afternoon was over, most of the children got picked up and the other worker walked over to her, wearing a blue dress. Yukiko couldn't help staring at the large backside.

"Did you have fun today? There's so many kids that I'm always looking for new helpers!" She smiled.

"What are the requirements?"

"Oh, not much. We prefer women, and a bit of English knowledge, but don't worry if you're monolingual!" She stared at her kimono. "However, our patrons are wealthy so you'd need to dress like me."

"Ummm…" Yukiko sighed inwardly. This seemed to be one of the only available jobs for a girl, yet she couldn't part with her beloved kimono. She noticed a woman in Western accessories but a kimono trying to awkwardly lead her son away and the worker caught her staring.

"Doesn't she dress funny? Must be a city thing!" She chirped.

"Actually, back home-" Yu began, but was ignored.

"Just give it some thought! We'd love to have you!" The worker waved to both of them, and only once they were fully out of earshot did Yukiko sigh in exasperation.

"Not a fan?" Yu teased.

"I'm bad with kids, and I can't wear Western outfits. There's really nothing for me.."

"Don't say that! The times are changing. Back home, there were magazines who only hired female editors. You could do that!"

She smiled at his optimism to be polite. "Maybe." She didn't think that was a viable option for her either, but all she could really do was keep looking around.

When she returned to the inn, she was immediately swept up in a job cleaning up after some drunk government workers who were being rowdy and speaking way too loudly for her own good. They wore striped pajamas and kept slamming their glasses down on the table, mainly ignoring her as she refilled their drinks or took away empty plates and cups.

"Did you hear the recent news?"

"What?"

"On that rowdy kid. The one beating up gangs. Seems like he beat up a real big one the other day and even shoved away a reporter who came to ask about it."

Yukiko slowed in her motions, trying to hear their words. She picked up the tea kettle to put it away.

"Oh, that kid. He's got guts. You know him?"

"Um, no. Think he's a local here though. Son of the Tatsumi clan. Old samurai, old blood. That deal."

"Sir Kanji!" Yukiko gasped without thinking, dropping a tray of glasses on the floor.

"Broad," One of the men snorted distastefully as she bent down to pick up the cups. As she stood back up, she thought to herself.

If Sir Kanji was in the news, then did that mean…? He could be the next target? After all, she was in the local tabloids and she became kidnapped, so would it be the same for him?

She needed to tell the others. Wait, they needed to check a photograph, right? Would any one do? Yukiko hurried into her room and looked over her photos of eligible men, sweeping over a vast majority of them before she noticed something shimmer and picked up the photo. The guy was nondescript, uninteresting to her, but her eyes focused on one specific part in the back corner. The shadow of a tall man.

She closed her eyes. Did you guys see that? She tried to send out.

Yeah, do you know who it is? Yosuke asked.

No…

It's okay. Yu reassured her. We can discuss it in more detail tomorrow.

Yukiko nodded, even though she was alone, and stared back at the picture, swallowing heavily.

Whatever they were doing, she was deep into it now.

Rain drummed hard on the streets and roofs that morning. Yu was sure he had never seen so much rain before, even during the rainy season. He couldn't remain sad forever, though. The biggest surprise awaiting Yu when he returned home was a pile of letters on the table Dojima said were addressed to him.

"None from my sister, but I think you'll like the rest." He said.

That made sense. England was much farther away than Japan after all, but the cities were fairly close. He pulled open the four letters he received and smiled as he read through them, hearing everyone's distinct voice. There was Hideki who was good with his hands and belonged to an artisan metal-working family who enjoyed cracking jokes and experimenting with chemicals. Taro, who ate all the time and so his letters carried the faint stains and smells of whatever meal he had upon writing, in this case, miso soup. Ayumu, the one with four older sisters who used their calligraphy papers printed with flowers and scented with fine oils and who refused to cross his kanji properly so reading his meanings became a huge guessing game. Finally, Shuuhei, who was a huge fashionista and chased every single trend he found.

All of them filled him in on the trials of school and lamented how bored he must be stuck in the backwater country and cracked jokes, asking if they ate raw food or if women wore pants or if there was anything to actually do there. After reading, he nodded happily and placed them on his dresser, determined to respond to them as soon as he possibly could. At least his old friends didn't forget him, and here he could make new ones too.

The next few days would be the most important ones. Deciding to meet in the food area of June's, everyone came to the conclusion that they had seen a man but couldn't actually recognize him.

"So that's how I looked," Yukiko said in amazement. "It looked weird. All…shimmering…" She then thought for a moment. "The other night, I was doing work at the inn and some guys were discussing Sir Kanji and how he's been in the news. Could he be the next target?"

"Could be. You were in the news too," Yosuke nodded.

"And when I was in there, the image changed. He's safe as long as the image doesn't change in the tabloids." Yukiko continued. "Why don't we watch him tomorrow? Try to figure out why he's being targeted and if we can stop this person early."

"You just wanna spy on your boyfriend!" Chie teased. Yukiko frowned. "I'm sorry, I just meant-"

"B-Boyfriend! Sir Kanji as my boyfriend!" She laughed loudly, trembling. "Just the thought of us walking down the street together!"

Chie sighed.

"So it's decided. We'll check on him tomorrow." Yu nodded. He just had to trust Yukiko would be able to show them where he lived and where to hide so they wouldn't be spotted. The extremely formal tone she used indicated she had some familiarity with him, but that could go a number of different ways. As they were leaving, Yosuke caught up to Yu and slung his arm around his shoulder.

"Hey! I gotta ask. You were probably a huge womanizer back home, huh?"

"You wish. I barely even saw girls back home." He laughed.

"So what do you think of our girls? Amagi and Satonaka? Either of them catch your fancy?"

Yu thought about it, being caught off guard. From what he could see, the two were complete opposites in every sense of the word. Yukiko was the traditional beauty, a living window into a world that was rapidly disappearing, with the perfect indigenous image and clothing. Chie was the boisterous tomboy who enjoyed sports and being loud, the antithesis to tradition. Both were nice, sweet girls, both had their merits, and both were fairly cute. But neither were for him. He wasn't really looking for romance right now, but he realized the two girls he did know weren't right for him. But then, who would be?

Not wanting to hurt the feelings of anyone, he just smiled at Yosuke. "I like both."

"Are you sure you're not a womanizer?! You really like both?!" Yosuke laughed. "I get it though. I couldn't pick just one girl either. I think Amagi-san is more my type though. I like really traditional girls."

"I like…" He had to think about it. "Someone like me. Westernized, which is hard to find in girls. Really sweet and nice, and pretty. I haven't thought on it much."

"What are the girls in your city like?"

Yu shrugged. "I just said I don't get to see them very much!" He jokingly pushed Yosuke.

"Don't worry, I'll keep this just between us. Some friendly banter!"

After school, the four all agreed to walk over to the textile shop, letting Yukiko lead the way.

"So, how do you two know each other? Is it just because your families are super ancient?" Yosuke asked.

"Yes. We go way back. Our families do, anyway. We're the only two in town who still live a very traditional way of life and the two of us used to play together when we were very very young. And then I saw him working a lot. I don't know why he's suddenly so violent…growing up, he was a lot more.. serene." Yukiko said. She then blushed. "He's also my possible betrothed."

"What?! I just made that joke in jest! You're seriously engaged to him?!" Chie shouted in disbelief.

"Is that why you're so formal?" Yu asked, and she nodded.

"Back before the reforms, his family were the samurai assigned to be in charge of Inaba. Everyone had to give them their respect and it's just a force of habit," Yukiko explained, smiling. "We're here!"

The textile shop was a simple wooden building with an open storefront, revealing a huge array of various types of fabrics and patterns and colors. An old woman kneeled in the doorway, hands folded politely in her lap and wearing a green kosode, setting her apart from the other housewives who wore more flowy, longer kimono.

"Afternoon, my lady," Yukiko bowed formally and the woman smiled.

"Yuki-chan! It's been a while! I was hoping you would visit us again!"

"I'll be on my way. Thanks for answering my questions." A slender and pale boy dressed entirely in blue tipped his hat at the woman.

"It was a pleasure to speak with you. I only wish I could've been of more help."

"Nonsense, you've helped me plenty." The boy took a step back and widened his eyes at the group before he tipped his hat to them too and walked off.

"That was weird." Yosuke decided. "What was with all that color?"

"I don't know, I've never seen him before." Chie shrugged.

"Yuki-chan!" The woman seemed to come to life and held out her arms. "You look so much like your mother, a real beauty. Surely you've come just for a chat? Or to shop? Did you bring your friends here for some light company?"

"Actually…!" Yukiko pulled Yu over and engaged the woman in pleasant conversation. "I just wanted to see how things were going. Everything is really scary as of late and I'm really worried!"

"Yeah, some greeting this is." Yu nodded.

"Unfortunately, but I promise you this town is one of the nicest places you'll ever live in. So many folks here are kind and helpful and some have lived here for centuries. You really can't find places like this anymore." The woman said.

"Did you grow up here?"

"No, I actually grew up in another small village, far from here, on the eastern coast. At first I was worried about moving out so far away, but Miyamoto-san, my late husband, bless him, convinced me it would be just like my old home. And he was right!"

Yukiko smiled at Yu. "Isn't that a romantic tale?"

She started to say something more before there was a loud rap on the door. "Dinner delivery for the Tatsumi residence!" A deliveryman shouted.

"Sorry, I must get that. Hold on." She stood up and left the room, leaving Yosuke and Chie to freak out.

"Look at this scarf! It's the same, isn't it? The one in the Other Realm!" Chie yelled, pointing to a red silken scarf on display.

"You mean, the noose…?" Yu shivered. Yosuke nodded.

"And those creepy paintings that were all cut up,"

Chie kept pointing to the scarf, catching the attention of the woman who walked back in. "Oh, are you interested? Mrs. Yamano actually originally bought a set of two before she canceled her order at the last minute, so now we have to try to sell the other one." She smiled. "Do you know her?"

"Consider us acquaintances." Yosuke said.

"We have to get going, but it was very nice meeting you!" Yukiko bowed.

"Same for you! Please don't be a stranger anymore. Soon I'd love to sit down and have some tea with you. I need to learn more about my daughter-in-law!" She waved at them as they walked away.

"It's related to the first case!" Chie cried.

"What do we do?" Yu asked.

"It's Sir Kanji! Hide!" Yukiko ordered, and the four dashed away to hide behind a telegraph pole. "Isn't that the boy from earlier?" She tried to lean in closer.

"Don't move, I'm squished!" Chie cried.

"I can't hear what they're saying!" Yosuke shushed both of them.

"Y-Yeah, tomorrow's good." Kanji stammered. "School? No, I don't go. I've never been."

"But do you know the high school in town?" The boy questioned.

"Yeah, everyone does."

"Perfect, we can still meet there. I'll see you tomorrow." The boy walked off and Kanji stood by himself.

"He's interested in me…? Huh. He dresses like a European but he's into that stuff. I didn't think it was possible…" He then turned around to leave and spotted the four, shaking his fist at them. "Hey! What are you staring at?!"

"W-We're sorry!" Yukiko hastily apologized before they all booked it, running away to the main area of the shopping district.

"That was terrifying! How is he your betrothed?! He beats people up and wanted to whack us!" Chie asked.

"He's not all bad." Yukiko pouted.

"We know for sure this is tied, but now what? Why is he being targeted and not his mother?" Yu tried to think about it, but the pieces weren't coming together. It was similar to Yukiko, where she was targeted and not her mother, but she still had more to do with the evidence than Kanji did. He sighed and hung his head. "This is difficult!"

"Nobody ever said solving a murder was easy." Yosuke meant it as a light joke, but it just served to dampen Yu's mood further. He didn't want to dwell on it, lest his mind break, but it wasn't funny, or easy. It was cruel. How were they the only ones even capable of solving this? How much longer could he possibly keep it a secret from Dojima?

-Daycares weren't much of a thing in Japan until after WW2. However, I still wanted Yu to work with kids because it fits him here so I gave him the closest variation; being a kindergarten assistant. Kindergarten was for wealthy families and mainly were Westernized, making both the employees and children wear Western clothing. They were notable for being one of the few jobs for women and one of the only where they'd wear Western dresses.

-The Meiji era was, much like the rest of the world at this period, a time where women felt more impassioned to look for jobs. However, there was a lot of pushback to this similar to getting girls educated. Pretty much the only jobs for women were as teachers, caregivers, nurses in some areas, and editors. The first and fourth jobs were the most popular options, but many women struggled with the routine. Many were oppressed and ostracized at work, ignored or harassed by men. Many lamented they didn't belong and had no accommodations. However, others loved working. Two women from a magazine editing office were interviewed with very different experiences. A-san said the men were nice and treated her with respect and even carried her umbrella while B-san said the men gave her dirty looks and pulled on her clothes and she didn't use the toilet or talk to anyone, just worked in silence. Other women were just averse to wearing Western clothing or even just hakama.

-Samurai families lived where-ever their master requested them to, usually in the towns and cities the daimyo was overseeing. The samurai were used to 'keep the peace' and collect taxes and were paid by their masters. Funnily enough, the real town Inaba's based on, Fuefuki, had a samurai living in it during the Edo and Meiji periods.

-Kosode are old-fashioned kimono that have gone through numerous stages since the Heian era. They're shorter than kimono with elbow-length sleeves that are attached to the sides instead of flowing freely.