This seems like exactly the sort of situation you brought the book for. With that in mind, you pick out what looks like a comfortable chair, settle down, and start reading.
You're about three pages in when Briar takes her place on your shoulder and starts reading along with you.
Perhaps ten minutes after that, Cordelia drags one of the other chairs to your other side and begins reading along over your other shoulder.
"What?" she says defensively, when you look at her. "It's boring in here."
You don't say anything, but do spare a questioning glance at Lu-sensei, wordlessly asking if he would care to join your little group reading session or not. Fortunately, your master merely smiles and sits on one of the couches, pulling his legs up under himself and sinking into a meditative trance.
While you have prior experience at adjusting to the differences between your reading speed and Briar's, this is the first time you've have to compensate for Cordelia's as well. She turns out to be a bit faster at reading than you or your fairy are, but once you've got the timing worked out, the three of you are able to leaf through the book at a steady pace.
Although it's clearly a reference book in the vein of an encyclopedia, Tobin's Spirit Guide manages to avoid sounding as dry and stuffy as some such books that you've glanced at in the past. The frank, matter-of-fact description of creatures most people would consider figments of the imagination certainly plays a role in that, as do the detailed images - sometimes hideous, other times wondrous - of the various entities. One entry compares the Japanese kitsune with its Chinese and Korean counterparts, the huli jing and the kumiho, detailing how they are at once similar and yet distinct. Another talks about dragons, and how those native to the Orient vary so significantly from the ones found in European legends. Then there is a section dedicated to "item spirits" - the tsukumogami of Japan and the dokkaebi of Korea - entities that arise when a man-made artefact obtains a spirit of its own.
As you read further in the book, you notice a certain bias towards creatures of Japanese origin, with at least three such entities listed for every one that is native to the mainland. Of those Chinese and/or Korean spirits that are mentioned, many are analogues to Japanese spirits. Still, each section goes to some lengths to clearly distinguish similar beings from one another; the supernatural creatures of these lands are no less proud of their origins and traditions than their human neighbors, and what pleases a Japanese kami might very well offend a Chinese shen, even if a mundane scholar might consider them to be parallels of the same mythological entity.
Gained Cryptozoology E
Gained Demonology E
Gained Japanese D (Plus) (Plus)
Gained Literacy F (Plus)
Gained Parazoology F (Plus) (Plus)
You've read through about a third of the Spirit Guide when you are interrupted by a knock at the door.
Lu-sensei awakens immediately. "Yes?"
The door opens to reveal Mr. West's aide. "Sorry for the wait. They're ready for you now, Mr. Tze."
"Right then," your teacher says as he unfolds his legs and rises from the couch. "Come along, you two."
"Er, sir?" the aide interrupts. "I was just told to bring you."
The look Lu-sensei gives the young man is less than impressed.
The aide's statement makes it pretty clear that he has little if any idea just what you and your companions have been through over the last few days, let alone how many times you personally have gotten into danger when away from Lu-sensei's presence. You try not to hold the man's ignorance against him, but after being jumped by giantkin in a bathroom, a creature of darkness in one hall, ninja bullies in another passage, and child demon assassins in an infirmary, his blandly puzzled attempt to get your teacher to leave you behind almost comes across as wishing you harm.
Letting out a breath to cool your temper and still some of your burgeoning fear, you decide to let your actions speak for you rather than using words. Snapping your book shut with a "whump" that resounds distinctly in the hushed room, you leave your chair, help Cordelia to her feet, and move to join Lu-sensei, pinning the aide with an unamused look of your own.
The aide frowns, and then turns back to your teacher. "Very well, then, sir. This way."
Without a word and barely any more sound, your two guards fall in a few steps behind you.
You're led not to Mr. West's office, but a conference room, where the self-described lawyer has been joined by perhaps a dozen other people. Nearly three-quarters of them have the same general air as your escort, support staff just here to carry out the orders issued by their bosses, but in addition to West, there are two people who give the impression of being In Charge. Both wear suits, although one has removed his jacket and folded it over the back of a chair; that man wears his white shirt with his sleeves rolled back to above the elbow, revealing strongly-muscled forearms, and carries a gun in a shoulder holster. The other figure of authority has several years of age over his counterparts, reflected in greying hair and the lines on his face.
All three men look up when West's aide announces your arrival.
"Ah," Mr. West says with a smile. "Good, you're all here." He holds a brief round of introductions. The man with the gun is the chief of embassy security, Paul Ford; the older fellow is the head of their small in-house medical staff, Doctor Henry Burke.
Taking seats at the conference table, you and Cordelia listen as the adults discuss what the government currently knows of your situation, what they are still in the process of learning, and what they need to know. Dr. Burke has two of his assistants visiting the hospital where the paramedics that treated you yesterday work, trying to track down hard copies of their report on your treatment. His secretary, meanwhile, is trying to get digital copies of your medical histories from Sunnydale General for comparison purposes; Burke grumbles something about unhelpful, borderline obstructive colleagues, then adds in a clearer voice that he'll need to examine all three of you himself, to officially confirm whatever information his people get from the locals. After that, Mr. Ford says that some of his people are in contact with the Tokyo PD, who are being quite helpful, although since they're still in the middle of analyzing the scene of yesterday's attack and the much larger incident at the arena, it'll be a while before they have any concrete information to hand over. He also states that secure rooms are being prepared for your party at the embassy, and that while he personally would prefer to send a few of his people to pick up your things from your hotel, if you wish to collect your belongings in person, he can arrange it.
Mr. West puts the question of which bit of business to handle first to Lu-sensei, who glances at you and Cordelia. Cordy states bluntly that she'd like to get her stuff. As for you...
However it's done, once your belongings are secured, you're not going to have a lot of freedom to move around. How do you wish to spend your time at the embassy?
Lu-sensei is a wise man. With both of his students in agreement about the need to fetch their belongings in person, he knows better than to say "No" to the idea, even when he has very reasonable grounds to be concerned about your safety. Instead, he tells you both that there will be no delays or diversions: you will go back to the hotel; you will pack up your stuff; and you will come straight back to the embassy. The security people who go with you will be in charge the whole way, and if they tell you to do something, you will do it.
So it is said, and so it is done. Accompanied by several guys in dark suits and shades, you and your companions pile into a van with tinted windows and are driven back to the hotel, a single car following close behind. The traffic is semi-reasonable, so you make good time, and while two of the suits handle the parking arrangements, three more form a loose perimeter around you as you return to your suite for the final time.
Here, you run into a bit of an obstacle, as one of the suits follows you into your room to assist you in packing. If it was just clothes and souvenirs, you wouldn't be worried. For that matter, if your recent purchases only included obvious tourist gimmicks like good-luck charms and guaranteed handmade traditional goods, you could still breathe easy. The time-worn scroll you picked up from Gen gets an odd look, but doesn't quite cross your guard's weirdness threshold. The animal parts you have on hand are another matter, particularly the dragonfly's wing - which is almost as long as a man's forearm - and you're quite sure that once the guy gets over his shock at that, he'll want to inspect the contents of your Clay Bottle and package of Gold Incense. That could reduce or even entirely ruin the items' value as reagents, rendering the last couple of days' worth of work a total waste.
Thank the goddesses for Briar. Seeing the agent's disbelieving reaction to the sight of the youkai wing, your fairy companion draws her wand and goes to work.
"That is not a insect wing," she says in as commanding a voice as a two-inch tall person can muster. "It is a feather."
"This is not an insect wing," the man repeats. "It is a feather."
"There is nothing unusual, dangerous, or illegal about the boy's luggage."
"There is nothing unusual, dangerous, or illegal about the boy's luggage."
"These are not the droids you're looking for," you mumble, smirking.
"These are not the droids-" The guard pauses, frowning.
Sparing you a momentary glare, Briar zaps the guy with another pulse of fairy magic, and resumes convincing him to ignore your odder belongings. You bow out and focus on packing, though you aren't so penitent as to drop the mage-sight you've been using since Briar pulled her wand.
Gained Enchantment E
Once you're packed and there is no further need to mess with the man's head, Briar lets out a sigh, stows her wand, and resumes her spot on your shoulder.
"I ought to smack you for that, you know," she mutters halfheartedly.
"You okay?"
"Just tired. Guy had a pretty hard head."
Aside from that narrow miss, your little expedition passes without incident. There's a brief delay while Lu-sensei attends to the business of signing out, but all told, the entire round-trip takes only slightly more than half an hour. You don't notice any spies or would-be assassins - to be fair, if they were good ones, you wouldn't - your belongings are intact and in your custody, and nothing explodes. The only downside is that between the pressure to get things over and done with and the constant company of the men in black, you aren't able to get a word in with Lu-sensei about reviewing your training until you're back at the embassy. And once there, he says that while he was planning on a refresher course on the purely physical and philosophical elements to pass the next few days, the mystical stuff is going to have to wait until you're clear of any government entanglements. Not that Lu-sensei has sensed any obvious ki adepts or other mystical presences in or around the embassy, but he'd prefer not to take the risk. He mutters something uncomplimentary about "government initiatives."
You decide to take Lu-sensei's cue and hide as much of your supernatural prowess as possible during your time at the embassy. The first couple of days aren't too bad, since you have your book and scroll to read in private, local TV to watch, and training to go over with your teacher and fellow student. Plus there's the whole novelty of being a guest of your nation's government, without being in trouble with the law. While you aren't able to do much with your overtly supernatural abilities in this period, you do manage to put some polish on your purely physical skills thanks to your teacher's guidance, and you also finish off Tobin's Spirit Guide and the Scroll of Enchantment.
Gained Cryptozoology E (Plus)
Gained Demonology E (Plus)
Gained Enchantment E (Plus)
Gained Japanese D (Plus) (Plus) (Plus)
Gained Literacy F (Plus) (Plus) (Plus)
Gained Parazoology F (Plus) (Plus) (Plus)
Gained Physical Prowess C (Plus)
One bit of mystical behavior you don't give up is talking to Briar. While you take care to avoid chatting with the fairy in public, you spend a good bit of your stay holed up in your room, discussing whatever comes to mind. Sometimes it's a review of your magical training, and other times, it's a breakdown of your current plans to open communications with Faerie, perform the familiar binding ritual, and shore up your knowledge of mental magic as a defense against that presence lurking in your subconscious. Your reluctance to use magic in your current environment forces you to keep these sessions mostly theoretical, but that's not entirely a bad thing.
Gained Dreamwalking E (Plus)
Gained Meditation E (Plus) (Plus)
Gained Mental Defense E
Gained Mental Prowess D
Shortly after lunch on your third day at the embassy, your father arrives, looking thoroughly jet-lagged yet utterly resolute. The first thing he does after laying eyes on you is grab you in a slightly crushing, rather embarrassing hug. It lasts all of three seconds before he remembers himself, releases you, and mumbles about it being good to see you and that you've been staying out of trouble. He spends most of the next hour refusing to let you out of his sight, before finally surrendering to offers of a room at the embassy, where he crashes until dinnertime. Once he's slept, showered, and eaten something more filling than airline food, your father disappears into a discussion with Mr. West about the current situation for several hours. He comes out of it looking not entirely happy, but satisfied - and again, refuses to let you out of his sight until bedtime. A lawyer working for the Chase family also arrives that afternoon, in rather better condition than your father, but he spends all of ten minutes talking to Cordelia before disappearing.
Your dad relaxes a bit over the next few days, most of which he spends in your company, hearing about what you've been up to since you left Sunnydale. After discussing this very topic with Lu-sensei, you've decided that now is not quite the time to explain the truth of the world to your old man, so you're careful to edit your statements to keep any supernatural stuff out. You feel a bit bad about not being honest with your father, but you manage to ignore that and just enjoy having him around.
Gained Filial Piety E (Plus) (Plus)
Gained Honest E (Plus)
With one thing and another, you spend over a week and a half as a guest of the embassy. In that time, the Tokyo PD makes several arrests in connection with the bombing of the arena. You can't speak as to whether or not the names and faces that show up on the local news are indeed guilty as charged, but when you catch a glimpse of Master Shiden shaking hands with an officer, you get a good feeling about the case. Less progress is made with regards to the incident at the hotel; no arrests have been made, no charges laid, no suspects named. You hear nothing about Beryl, and less about Mohra demons. Sergeant Hajime visits the embassy a couple of times and has you, Cordy, and Lu-sensei down at the station again once - this time with your father and the Chase lawyer present - reviewing your statement and keeping you advised on the situation, but ultimately, the grim-faced cop is forced to admit that his department has used up its leads and, as it stands, is unlikely to make any further progress on the case. So there's really no more need for you to remain in Japan.
Cordelia's lawyer has her on a plane bound for Hawaii and a connecting flight to Sunnydale the following morning. Your father is still making arrangements for the two of you to go home, while Lu-sensei says he'll find his own way back to the States, once he's had a chance to check up on some old acquaintances he didn't get a chance to see due to all the commotion. Before he leaves the embassy, your master lets you know that he's made arrangements to have copies of the tournament tapes mailed to Sunnydale; they should be there by the time you get home.
The next day finds you, your father, and Briar flying coach for Hawaii. You'll arrive after lunch and depart early the following morning - an arrangement which leaves just enough time for you to exploit teleportation to get that ritual offering to Din taken care of, if you want to. You do still need to pick up a suitable sacrifice to the local volcano goddess, although how you're going to get that when you're broke is a question in need of answering. There's also the matter of the Hawaiian sorcerer, who may still be lurking around...
What do you want to do?
And if you decide to make the sacrifice, how do you want to do it?