105th Spell: Rules of the House
"My name is Wakaru, and I am the Zashiki-warashi who keeps the guest room tidy," the small girl said to Haru.
"Does every room in this house have a Zashiki-warashi?" Haru asked.
"Of course, Sir," Wakaru nodded. "It's how we keep the entirety of this house nice and clean while the hallways and shared rooms like the foyer, living room, dining room, and so forth are kept clean by the Zashiki-warashi of that floor."
"So Datsu keeps the hallways and shared rooms on the first floor clean while the floors above us each have their own Zashiki-warashi to take care of those hallways and rooms."
"Correct, Sir. Now allow me to help you get settled."
Before Haru could speak, Wakaru tucked her golden orb under her arm and clapped her hands together. When this happened, Haru's leather trunk that was a hand-me-down from Higa floated out of his hand and into the closet. The bed then made itself with the mattress unrolling onto the floor while the pillows and folded-up blankets flew out of the closet and onto the mattress. And finally the bonsai tree that Haru had been carrying the whole time with his pet uwabami snake Heishi inside was lifted from his hands and gently placed in a corner of the room.
"If you need anything else, Sir, please call me by name," Wakaru said. "Dinner will be served at exactly 16:00."
"16:00…that's 4 o'clock," Haru realized. "Isn't that a bit too early for dinner?"
"Lady Meru is a firm believer in the 'early to bed, early to rise' method of daily life," Wakaru stated. "I would also advise you to change clothes before dinner."
"Why? Is something wrong with my clothes?"
"There is nothing physically wrong with them, but Lady Meru and her children usually wear formal clothing during dinner. And since tonight's dinner is a celebration for Lord Gyoku's graduation, it would be rude not to wear something formal."
"I understand. But I'm not sure if I have anything nice to wear."
"Just try your best to accommodate Lady Meru's request, Sir."
As Wakaru started to fade away, Haru held up is hand. "Wait, Wakaru!"
"Yes, Sir?" Wakaru asked.
"Could you please call me Haru? 'Sir' is a little too formal for my liking."
"Very well. I will comply with your request and call you 'Haru' from now on."
Two hours later, a loud gong resounded throughout the whole Wataka Mansion. Haru took this as the queue for dinner, and emerged from the guest room wearing the same blue yukata Higa let him borrow for the Star Festival. He made his way down the hallway while trying not to trip over his sandaled feet and eventually found the dining room on a carpeted veranda that overlooked the sea below the cliffs the mansion was built on. Meru and her children were already seated at the long horigotatsu-style table that had a hidden cavity beneath allowing the occupants to stretch their legs beneath the low table without being seen wearing the prettiest kimonos Haru had ever laid eyes on.
"Nice of you to join us, Boy Who Vanished," Gaane mocked.
"We thought you were just going to cower in your room all day, after we heard Datsu gave you a fright with our Kuyori Armor," Fuyou said, causing her and Gaane to laugh.
"Enough, girls!" Meru snapped, causing Gaane and Fuyou to instantly shut up. She then examined Haru's yukata from head to toe. "Your yukata looks very worn."
"My adopted uncle gave it to me," Haru explained as he sat down at the opposite end of the table, facing Meru.
"By 'adopted uncle,' you're referring to Mahoutokoro's groundskeeper Rakurai Higa, correct?" Meru asked.
"Yes, Lady Meru," Haru said, though he secretly didn't feel comfortable addressing Rui's mother by the title the Zashiki-warashi gave her.
"Has he taken good care of you since the passing of your adopted family?"
"Well, he's taken me to Tateroji for my school supplies a couple of times, emotionally supported me when I was upset, and now he's trying to see if he can arrange a place for me to stay."
"Does he lack room in his own dwelling for you to live with him?"
"At present, yes, which is why Rui offered to let me stay here for the time-being."
"Did anyone else offer you to stay with them?"
"This other classmate, Hikari Genma, offered me her place. But after I 'embarrassed her,' she called the deal off."
"Is this Genma you speak of the same girl you've talked about, Ruri?" Meru asked Rui. "The one who's been mean to you a few times?"
"Yes, Momma," Rui admitted. "But she's not all bad."
"So do you know what this 'embarrassment' Ryuji-kun speaks of?"
"Um, well," Rui began, fidgeting nervously. "We sort of got in trouble at school for going into a place we weren't supposed to, and Headmistress Dōmeki had the sleeves of our robes turned white as punishment."
A quiet silence fell over the dining room.
"Does this have to do with Ryuji-kun's battle against Warumo-uragi?" Meru asked while picking up a pair of chopsticks.
"Y-Yes, Momma," Rui answered.
Instantly, Meru crushed the chopsticks in her hand. "So you're telling me that you and Ryuji-kun not only broke into a place at school that was off-limits, but also put yourselves in danger and got caught in the act by Headmistress Dōmeki."
"That is correct, Lady Meru," Haru interjected.
"Did I say you could speak?" Meru threw the crushed chopsticks at Haru, who managed to dodge them. "I should have you thrown out right now, for putting my youngest daughter in harm's way and getting her in trouble with Mahoutokoro's Headmistress!"
"She went with me of her own free will, so don't blame me for her actions!" Haru argued.
"And this is why I wanted you to stay away from her!" Meru snapped. "You're a bad influence on everyone around you, just like your mother and father!"
Haru felt a boiling rage inside of him that was similar to when Ako the Shitanaga uba insulted him in a similar fashion, followed by the mysterious rattling sound he heard before that was then accompanied by a brief chest pain.
"Can you two please not fight?" Gyoku spoke up. "It's my special day, after all."
Hearing that, Meru's scowl softened. "Oh, all right. Let's not fight while we're celebrating Gyoku's graduation from Primary School."
Meru then banged a gong to her right, and trays of food came flying from another room onto the table. Many of them were fancy sushi plates, cooked fish, hotpot noodles, and baskets of rice full of breaded pork and chicken with mounds of shredded cabbage.
To be continued…
