103rd Spell: Wataka Mansion
"When Daichi and I were little, we had a hard time pronouncing Higa's first name 'Rakurai,'" Haru explained. "So to make it easier for us, he insisted we call him 'Uncle Higa'. And even after we got better at pronouncing his first name, 'Uncle Higa' just stuck and that's why I keep calling him by his last name."
"Sounds like you weren't a bright kid," Gaane insulted. "But I guess that hasn't changed since you got caught breaking the rules by Dōmeki-sama."
"I wonder how Mom is going to react when she finds out Rui got in trouble with Haru," Fuyou said as she chuckled.
"This is no laughing matter!" Peri said, causing Gaane and Fuyou to flinch. "I just hope Mom isn't too harsh on Rui, or Haru…."
Rui then became deathly quiet, which frightened Haru.
"Does she punish you guys?" Haru asked.
"Not always, but sometimes," Peri admitted.
After that, the rest of the carriage ride was silent. Haru tried to distract himself from the awkward tension by glancing outside the bamboo shutters at the scenery. They were steadily making their way out of the main city and up along the coastline till they came to a seaside hill with a cliff that had a huge drop with the sea rumbling below.
Standing at the top of this hill was a white three-story house with a blue-tiled roof, black lacquer-painted railings, and corner posts carved from blue jadeite in the shape of curled waves. Around this house was an outer tiled wall that had a nagayamon-style gate out front with a blue-dyed banner hanging over the archway depicting a gold ship sailing atop a wave that was about to break.
"Wataka Mansion," Gaane said as the carriage made its way up the driveway that was made from white pebbles.
"Home sweet home," added Fuyou in a sarcastic manner.
Then Haru saw someone walk through the gate and realized it was the same imposing woman who was with Rui and her siblings at the Kyoto Train Station. She had the same short chestnut-brown hair, permanent scowl, and blue two-piece business suit.
"Good afternoon, Lady Meru!" the carriage driver Basha Tamashī said to the woman. "I have brought your children safely from the train station in Aomori with no problems whatsoever."
"Very good, Basha," the woman said and held up a wand made of ginkgo wood. "You may take the Nade Ushi back to the stables after the girls have unloaded."
Basha bowed politely. "As you wish, Lady Meru."
Immediately, Rui and her siblings got out of the carriage with their luggage in tow. Haru got out last, hoping to not be seen by Meru. But she immediately spotted him and froze him in place with her wand.
"You didn't tell me you were bringing along an extra person, girls," Meru said sternly to her children. "Who is he?"
"Haru Ryuji, Mom," Rui said as she stepped forward. "And I was the one that invited him to stay here for Spring Break."
Meru frowned. "Didn't I make it clear over Winter Break that I didn't want you hanging around this boy?"
"Yes, you did, but I don't think it's fair!" Rui argued. "He may have a questionable past, but he's a good person at heart. In fact, he recently stopped Warumo from stealing the Jinsei Stone that was secretly being kept inside Mahoutokoro."
"Actually, the stone in the school was a decoy," Haru said, barely being able to move his mouth. "But Rui is right. I did confront Warumo and defeat him."
Meru didn't look convinced. "And where's proof of this fantastic story of yours?"
"If you let me go, I can show you…my mark," claimed Haru.
"The Mark of Orochi?" Meru flinched. "You have it?"
"No, I don't have it! And that's the point!"
"Let me see what you have."
Waving her wand towards herself, Meru was able to make Haru walk forward till he was one footstep's length in front of her.
"I hate it when Mom uses the Body Control Curse," Gaane whispered to Fuyou.
"Glad it's not happening to either of us for a change," Fuyou whispered back.
"Shush!" Peri insisted.
Once Meru released Haru from the Body Control Curse, he briefly unzipped his jacket and showed her the dragonfly mark on his chest. It wasn't as swollen as before, though it was still red around the edges.
"How interesting," Meru remarked as she looked carefully at the mark. "Whoever created this protective seal for you was a genius."
"It was created by my birthmother Kiku Tago, on the night she died," Haru said.
"And how do you know this?" Meru asked.
"Because I recently had nightmares that were actually memories from when I was an infant, and I saw her make this mark as she lay dying," Haru answered, trying not to get emotionally worked up. "It protected me from Warumo when he tried to attack me."
After another careful examination, Meru put away her wand in a special leather case that was strapped to her right leg. "If you really are a good person as my youngest daughter claims, then you will have to prove yourself to me by obeying the rules of my house and doing everything my children do on a daily basis here. If you complain or don't listen, then you'll leave and never speak to Rui or any of my other children for that matter. Does that seem reasonable to you?"
Haru paused before nodding. "Yes, Wataka-san!"
"You will refer to me as 'Lady Meru' from now on, boy, unless I decide otherwise," Meru declared. "Now let's all get inside before the sun goes down."
So Rui and her siblings picked up their luggage and went through the gate in a single-file line behind Meru while Haru brought up the rear. Inside the outer wall was a pristine garden with small cherry trees, a koi pond, and a miniature zen garden. They entered the three-story house where Rui, Peri, Gaane, and Fuyou immediately went upstairs to their individual rooms. Gyoku, on the other hand, was taken aside by Meru leaving Haru alone in the foyer of the house with no idea where to go.
To be continued…