114th Spell: Old Grudge
Haru wanted to believe Rui's words, but he was internally conflicted. The rattling sound he heard earlier was still mysterious with no clear explanation. And even knowing neither of his birthparents were directly descended from Orochimaru didn't ease his concern that every person Warumo possessed must have had the Mark of Orochi on them including the recently departed Healer Popuri, who was currently in Mahoutokoro's burial mound. But this made him think of why everyone thought he was born with the Mark of Orochi despite not having it.
These thoughts kept Haru occupied going into the second week of Spring Break. But then on Wednesday morning, everyone's tranquil breakfast was interrupted by the arrival of a large female Blakiston's fish owl that flew in through an open window on the dining room veranda. A bundle of letters was clutched in her beak, causing Meru to get up from the table and kneel down to the owl's level.
"Give me the letters, Rena," Meru said softly to the fish owl.
In response, the female owl ruffled her brownish-tan feathers and made a low threatening hoot with its throat. So Meru told hold of the letters in the owl's mouth, but she refused to let go.
"I'll give you some leftover fish if you drop the letters," offered Meru. "How does that sound?"
Blinking slowly, Rena let go of the letters and stretched her wings in excitement. Meru immediately got up, placed the letters on the dining room table, and went into the kitchen where she produced a tray of dried fish that hadn't been used for breakfast. Holding the dried fish at arm's length, Meru fed them to Rena who happily swallowed them whole.
"Rena is our official mail owl," Rui said, noticing Haru's confusion. "We used to have a crow named Emi take care of our family mail, but she was given to Peri as a gift for her sixteenth birthday. So now we use Rena for all our other mail. But as you can see, Rena's a bit stubborn unless she gets what she wants."
Looking at the pile of letters, Haru saw one of them was addressed to him.
"How did Mahoutokoro know I would be here?" Haru questioned. "I never went to the Rookery and changed my address."
"Mahoutokoro keeps track of every student and staff's location with a basic tracking spell," Meru stated. "It's how they're able to know where to deliver mail and such."
Though Haru found that knowledge slightly unnerving, he decided to ignore it and opened his letter to look at his new supply list:
Second-Year Secondary Students Will Require:
- Items
+ Rikyan Self-Healing Kampo Set
+ Rikyan Essential Oils Kit
+ Rikyan Crystal Set
+ Rikyan Self-Heating Hot Stones
+ Rikyan Herbal Tea Ingredients Set
+ Rikyan Kettle and Cup Set
- Books
Spells and Charms, Level 6 by Miyoko Genji (Provided)
The Rikyan Method for Massage & Acupuncture by Gimu Rikyan
Essential Oils and Their Benefits by Gimu Rikyan
Magic Crystals and Their Effects by Gimu Rikyan
Recipes for Self-Healing Kampo by Gimu Rikyan
How to Brew Herbal Teas the Rikyan Way by Gimu Rikyan
- Optional
+ Rikyan Healing Rod
My Grandfather & Me by Gimu Rikyan
+ Rikyan Scented Candles
+ Rikyan Incense Sticks
Diets for Healing and Self-Improvement by Gimu Rikyan
"There sure are a lot more items for this year than previous years," Rui noted. "And who is this Rikyan guy?"
"Only one of the most successful up-and-coming Healers to date," Meru stated. "In fact, he would like to expand his business overseas through Sudaumi. So I'm scheduled to meet him at a book-signing he's doing at the Kiyokusuri Apothecary in Tateroji tomorrow afternoon, and we will use this opportunity to do school shopping for everyone."
"Including me?" Haru asked.
"Only if you are able to pay for your own supplies, Ryuji-kun," responded Meru. "Do you have sufficient funds?"
"Yes, Lady Meru," Haru said. "My birthmother left an inheritance for me in her name."
"How thoughtful of her!" Meru remarked sarcastically. "She was never that forward-thinking when I went to Mahoutokoro with her."
Seeing an opportunity to ask Meru about her personal dislike for his birthparents, Haru decided to pry further. "Were you in the same Clan as Kiku?"
Meru shook her head. "Not at all! She was a Byakko, and I was in Genbu. We initially shared some of the same classes together and participated in some of the same activities, but we were never close friends or anything like that. But one day, we found out we were both in love with the same boy and competed with each other for his affection."
"And who was that?"
"You can probably figure that out yourself."
Then as Meru left for work, Haru pondered over her last words. He thought back to the Mahoutokoro yearbook pictures he saw with his birthmother Kiku Tago and birthfather Taka Ryuji being together. Apart from the looming figure of Kiku's jilted fiancee Shinjiro 'Jiro' Tanai, who was also the Inugami that caused the Ferris wheel to malfunction at the Kyoto Zoo where Haru's repressed magical powers first manifested, Haru vaguely remembered seeing a girl who was standing just behind Kiku and Taka in one of the pictures. Her face was partially obscured, but what caught Haru's attention at the time was her chestnut-brown hair that looked exactly like Rui's hair color.
So the reason Rui's mother has a strong dislike for my birthparents is because she also loved Taka, whom Kiku had eyes for as well, Haru realized in his mind. But while Kiku did marry Taka despite her engagement to Jiro, Meru ended up marrying Rui's father Ata instead. And maybe she was content with that, considering how many children they had together. Then Ata's unexpected death and having to take over the family business by herself must have brought back that old grudge she had against my mother for taking away the only other guy she loved. Now that my birthparents are both dead, though, she's taking that grudge out on me….
To be continued…