107th Spell: Nature versus Choices
"No, it was my fault," Haru claimed. "I shouldn't have gotten so worked up, but I felt like your mother was blaming you—even though what happened in the storage house wasn't your fault."
"She's always treated me and my sisters harshly, so it's nothing new," replied Rui. "But when it comes to my brother Gyoku, she's much softer on him, like he's this perfect angel or something."
"That doesn't seem fair. Why should Gyoku be treated differently than you and your sisters?"
"Remember when I said my mother wants Gyoku to succeed our family business?"
"You mean the trading company Sudaumi?"
When Rui nodded, Haru suddenly understood what was going on.
"But that still doesn't excuse your mother's behavior," Haru argued. "My Manai mother always treated me and Daichi equally because she believed no one sibling should be favored over another because it could lead to bitterness and hatred down the line."
"You have to understand that my mother still mourns my father's loss, even if she doesn't show it," Rui said. "And I think Gyoku reminds her of our father in some way…"
Rui then walked away before Haru could respond, leading him to sigh and return to his room.
"I couldn't help but overhear you and your friend Rui's conversation," Heshi said as she popped her white snakehead out of the bonsai tree she was curled up in. "And I think you're both right."
"What do you mean?" Haru didn't understand Heshi's reasoning.
"She is right that her mother's behavior is understandable, but you are right because siblings shouldn't be treated differently from each other. I mean, given what happened to me and my mother…."
"But Rui's mother and your mother aren't the same thing! Rui's mother choses to act the way she does, but your mother was most likely operating on instinct since certain animals might disregard children they don't want for various reasons. In your case, it was because you were different."
"That may be true," Heshi admitted. "But sometimes our nature affects our choices. Your friend's mother clearly loves the brother more than her other children because he reminds her of the husband that she lost, and therefore it affects how she treats her kids."
"Even if you're right, that doesn't mean what Rui's mother does is okay. And how do you know what a husband is? Do male and female Uwabami take care of their young?"
"Just the female," replied Heshi. "But I've been taking secret lessons from the nice lady, Midorime, while you took classes during the day at school."
"What kind of things has she taught you?"
"Mostly human concepts like 'friends' and 'husbands.' And I think I've been able to understand more complex things since I matured from shedding my skin not too long ago."
"I see." Haru looked at the water clock nearby and realized it was almost 6 PM. "Well, I think I'm going to read some of my schoolbooks and then go to bed."
"Okay," Heshi nodded and slithered back into the bonsai tree hollow. "Goodnight, Haru!"
"Goodnight, Heshi," Haru responded.
"Why did you not tell me that your pet snake was actually an Uwabami, Ryuji-kun?" Meru asked Haru at the dining room table during breakfast the following morning at 6 AM.
The Wataka siblings all glanced at Haru except for Rui, who averted her eyes.
"How would you know that?" Haru asked, finding it hard to believe Meru knew the well-kept secret about his pet snake.
"Wakaru told me," Meru explained. "Because even when Zashiki-warashi are not visible, they are always present and listening to what the occupants in this house say. And if they hear something that interests or concerns them in relation to the safety of this house, they'll tell me. Now back to my original question: why didn't you tell me your snake was an Uwabami?"
"Dōmeki-sama told us to keep it a secret," Rui spoke up.
"For what reason?" Meru asked Rui.
"Because she feared it would cause the students at school to panic, so she instructed Haru to make sure his Uwabami stayed in serpent form until an Uwabami license could be obtained," answered Rui. "I would also like to confess something."
"And what is it?" Meru was visibly not comfortable.
From underneath the fold of Rui's blue blazer, she produced Nori, the Nobusuma yokai that resembled a cross between a squirrel and a bat. But at the present, Nori was in a deep sleep so he barely moved.
"Is that…a Nobusuma?" Peri couldn't believe her eyes. "Where did you get it?"
"At the beginning of Spring Semester, Higa-san found this little guy stuck in a tree after he had been blown south from his homeland by a typhoon," Rui described. "I decided to help him nurse the Nobusuma back to health for extra credit, but then it imprinted on me which made releasing him back into the wild difficult. So I decided to keep him…."
Gaane and Fuyou looked toward the mother Meru with expected eyes, thinking she was going to tell Rui to get rid of the little Nobusuma.
"Have you done your research on how to take care of a Nobusuma?" Meru demanded of Rui.
"Yes, Momma!" Rui nodded.
"Does the same apply to you, Ryuji-kun?" Meru said to Haru.
"I have, Lady Meru," answered Haru.
"Then I expect you two to make sure that your creatures don't get up to any mischief under this roof," Meru said threateningly. "Because if they do, I will call the Department of Magical Creatures to take them away. Is that understood?"
Reluctantly, Rui and Haru nodded.
"Now I need to get to work," Meru concluded as she stood up from the table. "I assume all of you will follow the daily schedule including you, Ryuji-kun. Otherwise I will hear about it from the Zashiki-warashi."
Haru and the Wataka siblings silently nodded as Meru walked away, even though Haru didn't know about this schedule Meru was referring to.
To be continued…