Oathkeeper

by Seichou Maki

Miwa had pledged an oath to Youko Kurama, an oath that defines many things about her life and her choices. However, encountering the Spirit Detective, called to retrieve the Artifacts of Darkness from four demon thieves, begins the chain of events that forces her to rethink the oath she made long ago.

34. What Comes After

Chapter 34: What Comes After

Within just a few days, the weather cooled down dramatically. You could not go a day without hearing someone celebrating that the summer humidity was gone for another year. Miwa, who ordered hot drinks even in the summertime, was not one of those people. She'd only be happy on cold days if it were raining. On a day like this, she'd be wearing long sleeves and a jacket to keep herself warm, whereas most people would slowly add layers over time as winter took over autumn. Human children, however, were a completely different story. As Miwa sat down alone on a park bench on a Saturday afternoon, she watched children play on a nearby jungle gym and swings. They ran around in shorts and t-shirts as if it were still summer vacation. Of course, the running could play a part in that, but those kids still had to get to this park in those clothes. There certainly weren't any tiny jackets on the ground waiting to be picked up by equally tiny owners.

Still, despite the cold Miwa's own jacket was protecting her from, she did enjoy watching the children. Alone on the bench next to an empty cocoa can that was once very warm, she probably looked like an older sister waiting for a sibling to finish playing. She was actually waiting for someone else and, as she waited, paying close attention to the games the children were playing. Kids on the swings competing for who could launch themselves the farthest or highest. Kids climbing the jungle gym pretending they were scaling a dangerous cliffside. A little girl with a jump rope was singing a song Miwa had never heard in her life. In many ways, this was like how demon children play, and certain rules or styles were simply different here. But of all the children playing, Miwa's favorite was the group playing hide-and-seek. She liked watching them figure out the best hiding spots in the area they decided was "allowed," or their playful shrieks when "It" found and chased them.

One kid, a skinny boy with scuffed knees and one shoe untied, stopped mid-run, and looked directly at Miwa. He stared, squinting his eyes as if he were looking at the sun. But, rather than the sky, he was staring at the girl on the bench with dark hair and an unusual aura. Miwa turned her head, and he flinched when their eyes met, like he was just caught doing something bad. She was about to raise her hand to wave, but then "It" caught up and smacked him in the back. The boy harped on his friend for hitting too hard, and they eventually walked away, leaving Miwa behind and completely forgotten.

"That one's Awareness is very attuned for his age. He pinpointed you so quickly."

For the first time, Miwa did not hear that voice through a pay phone. A woman wearing black slacks and a collared shirt appeared on Miwa's bench. With her blond hair tied up in a very tight bun and black-framed glasses, she was the perfect picture of any businesswoman on the streets. All except for one thing: Miwa was certain that if the boy from before looked back, he would be so shocked at the sudden appearance of another body exuding demon energy.

"You must be Negura."

"Yes. It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person, Miwa. These children," she said, joining Miwa's observations, "It's fascinating how they pretend to be a hunter and their prey."

"Maybe this is the only way they can be prey without actual danger to their lives."

Negura smiled. "Or be a hunter without legal consequences."

The hide-and-seek round ended, and the kids gathered by the water fountain to designate the new "It," an honor given to the boy with scuffed knees. He pressed his palms against his eyes, proving to everyone that he wasn't cheating, and he counted out each number, stretching out the first syllable as if he were singing.

"How long have you been in Living World?" Miwa asked.

"This is not my first time, but I arrived two weeks ago. Mr. Urameshi recommended you for this position with great enthusiasm."

"Even though I can only do it part-time?"

"Many demons we are recruiting will be part-time. It's better that you all have ties to human society outside of this position. But with someone of your combat abilities, we may also ask you to engage clients with force, as necessary."

Miwa sighed. "Already expecting a rocky start?"

"We would be foolish not to." Negura's responses were polite and firm, as if she already had a mental itinerary for this conversation.

"When you say engage them with force…"

"As necessary. Obviously, killing our own clients would not be in our best interest, but if they step too far out of line and a human life is endangered, or worse…"

"Then you'll send me after them like an attack dog."

"...You would not be alone. The primary directive will always be to capture, not to eliminate. However, in some instances, there may be no other choice. I'm sure someone with your history would understand."

Miwa did, and it sounded simple enough. She was beginning to understand why Yusuke recommended her for this job.

"...You said in your letter that there are certain conditions for my employment."

"Yes, to set an example against mischief in the Living World, per King Enki's rule." Negura reached into a very stylish shoulder bag and retrieved a manila envelope. "And based on our previous correspondence, you were already working on those arrangements. Since you were taking the initiative without our asking, we would like to assist you."

Miwa took the envelope and pulled out some sheets of paper. They were very clean and formal-looking. Documents from a real business. She had only ever seen school papers look like this. On top of the stack, there were forms for names, addresses, and the desired memory outcome. Miwa noted a pre-made checkbox for having their memories of Himari Shimizu erased completely.

Negura adjusted her glasses. "I understand your friend, Shirai, is coming to rewrite the memories of Takeo Shimizu and two of your human friends. Even with his talents, it is a challenging endeavor to change your identity, so we will assist by rewriting the memories of other people in Himari Shimizu's life; primarily those who know her in a less intimate way." She tapped her finger on the papers. "Please list those who Shirai will not be rewriting on this form and return it to me as soon as possible. In the meantime, we will work on securing new living arrangements for you. Any questions?"

Miwa stuffed the papers back into the envelope. She did not want to look at that checkbox anymore. "Are there any requirements about the memory rewrite I should know about?"

Negura shook her head. "You are the one who would know best how to set things right for them. This is, admittedly, all new territory for us, and we are moving on a case-by-case basis to fully understand the people we employ. In the case of Takeo Shimizu, he was unwillingly and unknowingly made to look after a demon fugitive, as well as possessed by a weasel demon for multiple months to preserve your lie. Not to mention your involvement with the theft of the Artifacts of Darkness, which resulted in many disruptions to human lives."

Miwa bit her lip. Negura recited everything with such confident precision that you would think she was reading off a summarized rap sheet, but it was all from memory. Were all meetings with future employers like this? She had never experienced one before.

"But…" Negura glanced back at the children. The boy with the scuffed knees had already found three of his prey, and she smiled at them. "...We also understand things were different before King Enki's rule, and your past associations with Mr. Urameshi's work as the Spirit Detective reassures us that you are also on the side of protecting human life."

…Just how much did Yusuke say when he recommended Miwa for this job? Very rarely has someone been able to tell her so much about her own life, much less someone she just met. "I came back here after the tournament to see what this world has to offer, and to the people I care about."

"Yes, and that is why you are just the kind of demon we are looking for." Negura stood up, and Miwa spotted more manila envelopes inside her bag. Envelopes for other demons taking on the same job. "You have adapted to this world, through both good and bad avenues. You are more than qualified to guide our clients through what they will experience here."

Miwa also stood up, but for no reason other than to be eye-level with Negura. "Thank you," she said, unsure what else to say, but she did her best to be honest. "I am still thinking about how to properly return Takeo to his life, but I am looking forward to this kind of work."

Negura lowered her head politely. "When more things are settled, you'll meet the others you will be working with in this area, and I will be in contact when your new living arrangements are settled. Until then, take care."

She walked away, very business-like in both appearance and demeanor, and Miwa waved good-bye by flapping the envelope a bit. Finally, with such a distinctive presence gone, she felt as if she could breathe again. Miwa didn't have anything against Negura, or working with her, but to think someone like that was going to be her boss. Nothing had felt this bureaucratic since she first stepped into Gandara. When Miwa looked down at the envelope, its contents and that nefarious checkmark came to mind. The names she would write down were long-since decided, but as for how to have their memories rewritten… Her life these past few years had been full of decisions like this. Decisions for herself. She should be used to it by now. Or at least be able to be more confident in her choices. Yet she always ended up here, her thoughts spinning in endless scenarios.

Deciding on a new future was such a difficult thing…

The boy with scuffed knees found the last child hiding in a bush nearby, and the chase to tag the final prey sent more thrilled shrieks into the air. The boy's chase drew them closer to Miwa, and once more, he stopped in the middle of his game to stare at her. Miwa stared right back, wondering what this spiritually aware child would do in the face of a full-blooded demon. Miwa tucked the envelope under her arm, and she smiled at the boy, waving at him with the friendliest face she could muster.

What would he do? In the past, demons with crueler intentions approached human children in this exact same way.

The boy tilted his head quizzically, never once stopping to acknowledge his rudeness for staring. Meanwhile, the girl he was chasing made it to the water fountain they had designated as their "safe zone," where they would be safe from "It's" pursuit. She slapped her palm against the porcelain surface and jeered back at the scuffed knees boy for his loss, teasing him with another tune Miwa had never heard before. The boy, snapped back to reality by her song, turned away from Miwa and returned to his friends. Whether he was afraid of, or indifferent to, Miwa's demonic presence was unclear. But she knew which one she hoped it to be. Even if he could have been prey to a more powerful being like her, he did not have to be afraid. Just like with their game.

Miwa checked her watch, readjusted her jacket, and left the park.

{00}

"That sounds kinda like what Urameshi was doin' as Spirit Detective," Kuwabara said later that night, before slurping ramen into his mouth.

"Whaddya mean? I didn't have to babysit anybody."

"Fine. It's more than what you were doin'!"

Yusuke loomed over the counter, steam from a pot of boiling water wafting menacingly along the side of his face. "So saving your ass from monsters wasn't enough for ya?!"

"I was fighting right there with you half the time!"

Kurama set his chopsticks down. "We didn't come here to argue about job responsibilities," he said calmly. His ramen bowl was only half-finished.

Yusuke's and Kuwabara's tempers quickly cooled, and they went back to their respective tasks. Kuwabara continued wolfing down the large bowl he ordered while Yusuke minded the ramen stall. He started working there a month after his return to Living World. A small outdoor stall in a quieter area of Sarayashiki that could seat no more than five people. But for all his complaining, Yusuke unexpectedly made good food, so Kuwabara, Kurama, and Miwa would often gather at his stall whenever he was working to grab a meal and chat.

Miwa sighed. "Stopping demons who step out of line is only part of the job, Kuwabara, and hopefully one that's unnecessary. My main responsibility is to help demons adjust to the new environment."

"How? Giving lectures, or something? 'What You Need to Know for Your First Trip to Living World.' Heh, I'd go and see that, even if I'd be surrounded by demons."

To be honest, Miwa would also love to see something like that. "No, Negura has a different team back in Demon World for that kinda stuff. I'm more like a social worker, or a counselor. Demons coming here will get assigned to me, and I'll talk them through any questions or concerns they have."

Kurama picked up his chopsticks again and elaborated. "Those who aren't prepared for how different life is here can become overwhelmed if they cannot adjust, and then they could lash out from the stress. Having someone to talk with about those issues can be invaluable."

"That's why I told them about you!" Yusuke chimed in, wiping down some bowls he finished washing. "You came here and eventually figured it out. You'll know exactly what it's like for those guys!"

Miwa frowned. "A lot of demons have come here and figured things out…"

Kurama chuckled. "But unlike most demons here, you adjusted by learning how to empathize with humans." He smiled gently. "Sharing that kind of perspective is just what we need for relations between worlds to improve."

Miwa blushed and tossed a bunch of noodles in her mouth. It sounded way more impressive when he put it that way.

"So how come you're not doin' the same job, Kurama?" Kuwabara asked. "You could probably give 'em good advice, too."

"I did bring that up when I was over there," Yusuke pointed out, "They even said you wouldn't have to rewrite any memories like Miwa does."

Their exact words were, "Given the circumstances of Shuichi Minamino's upbringing and the mother's choice to birth a child, rewriting their memories to remove him would bring too much unnecessary change to that household." But Yusuke couldn't remember all that fancy business-talk, let alone repeat it.

Kurama shook his head. "That kind of work would be difficult to hide from my family. And I…" He paused, wondering if he should explain that he didn't want to intrude on a space Miwa was excited to join. Her first "new" endeavor since starting her After. But that would just embarrass her, so instead, he said, "I don't mind helping, if it comes down to that. But I have other things I would like to pursue first."

"Well, if you get bored, you can always freelance, like me," Yusuke said, pointing at himself with a proud thumb. "Ghosts or demons giving someone problems? I'm their guy." Suddenly, his shoulders dropped. "Though, most people just ask me to get autographs for them."

Kuwabara's head snapped up. "From who?"

"Usually Koto, Juri, and that fake nurse lady, Ruka. They started a girl group or something and are on weird shows every now and then, but everyone thinks the 'demon' thing is just a gimmick."

Miwa huffed in amusement. Takeo liked watching variety shows, so she saw a couple of their appearances, and none of them wore a disguise. The speculation, both Takeo's and on television, of who did their makeup and costuming was generating the most buzz for their group. "It's definitely easier to believe than real demons appearing on TV shows."

Kuwabara nodded slowly, making a mental note to check the TV guides when he got home that evening. Then, he pointed at his bowl and grinned at Yusuke. "More noodles, please."

"How much have you eaten already?" Yusuke rolled his eyes and properly handed over a small bowl of noodles. "I'm not paying for you, dude."

"Don't judge. I just had an exam the other day. I deserve this!" Kuwabara poured it into his bowl; somehow, he still had enough broth left to cover the extra serving.

"You deserve it if you pass."

Miwa slurped the last of her own noodles and pushed the bowl away. "Don't be mean, Yusuke. He's been studying hard."

"Oh yeah?" Yusuke smirked. "I'll believe it when I see a report card."

"I'll bring one straight to you, you little punk!"

"Lookin' forward to it, smart guy!"

Kurama quietly finished the rest of his food. He truly enjoyed meeting with his friends like this. Weekend study sessions always had school pressures looming over their heads, but outings like these were a great opportunity to catch up on what they have all been doing outside of school. Sometimes, Keiko or Shizuru even joined them. But things inevitably boiled down to at least one hot-headed exchange between Yusuke and Kuwabara. At this point, Kurama only stepped in if they would trouble other customers. If no one else was around, he let them blow off steam as long as they kept both fists at their sides. Kuwabara seemed much happier since Yusuke's return anyway, as did they all.

After they settled down, Yusuke took Kurama and Miwa's empty bowls. He may not have cared much about school, but he did his job properly. "So, Miwa," he said, "when's Shirai coming to this side?"

Miwa, who was digging through her bag for her wallet, looked up. "Next week. Negura is setting him up with temporary lodging and everything."

"Fancy." Yusuke put the dirty bowls into a tub of soapy water and leaned on the counter. "If he has time, bring him down here. I wouldn't mind seeing him again."

"Oh," Kuwabara said, sitting up, "I wanna meet him too."

She laughed. "I'm sure he'd be happy to see you, and to meet more of my friends."

"Has he ever been to the Living World?" Kurama asked, leaving coins on the table for his food.

Miwa shook her head. "This'll be his first time."

"Then you definitely gotta bring him here," Yusuke said, puffing out his chest. "I'll sneak him some extra gyoza or somethin'."

"That would make him happy, I'm sure." She finally found her wallet and set down some coins. Slowly, Miwa gathered her things, stuffing the envelope deeper into her bag, and stood up to leave. "Thanks for the food, Yusuke. It was really good."

Taking the opportunity, Kurama also stood up and gave his thanks.

"No problem," Yusuke replied, waving with a damp towel. "Thanks for comin', you two."

Kuwabara also waved, but he kept his mouth closed since it was full of noodles. He was already a couple bites away from finishing his extra serving.

Miwa and Kurama ducked under the ramen stall's hanging fabric dividers and stepped out into the full night. With each step, the bright glow of the lamps at Yusuke's stall and the two boys' continued chatter faded into the distance. Within minutes, it was replaced by the noise of the main road, and they made their way to the train station. It wasn't particularly late, but there were very few people walking about. Miwa adjusted the straps of her bag, but through her back she felt the shape of the large envelope and the weight of paper that normally wasn't there. She imagined those check boxes, neatly placed next to blank lines where her desired rewrites must be written.

What would she write on those forms? What story would she ask Shirai to create when he comes the following week?

Saya and Tsutsumi were easy. Miwa had no intention of erasing Himari Shimizu from their minds; she didn't want to. They were some of the first humans who made Himari feel like a real, living person. Her existence had nothing to do with the grand trajectory of their lives. People who knew Himari in a tangential way did not need to forget her.

But the facts did need to change, and that was the problem.

Who would Himari be without Takeo? What could have Takeo been without her? Without answering those questions, those check boxes and forms would remain blank, and Himari would be erased completely. But the nebulous possibilities cycled in and out of Miwa's mind, and the shame of never realizing what she had done to that man's life kept any decision out of reach.

Erasing Himari from Takeo's mind was the simplest route, putting him back on the path he had once chosen for himself. To experience the world by living alone in the city, working at his first job out of university. Doing well at that job, rising through the ranks like the hard worker he was. Gaining life experience before returning to his hometown to take over the family business. Instead, he was forced to unknowingly harbor a demon fugitive and take on responsibilities that were never his to bear. Leaving behind an empty five years felt wrong, like she was running away from responsibility and taking away what he had accomplished despite the obstacles in his life. But it also felt wrong contriving a way to keep him tethered to her when, under normal circumstances, they should have never met. If she hadn't insisted Iizuna set Himari Shimizu up with a real, human parent to complete the ruse, she would have never needed to decide something like this. But she had to do it. She had to return him to his life, no matter how guilty it made her feel in the end.

A strong hand gripped Miwa's elbow, stopping her and her thoughts just as a black car passed mere inches in front of her face.

"Are you alright?" Kurama asked, not letting go. His surprised panic was slowly fading.

Miwa blinked and turned her head. They had come to a crosswalk, and the "Don't Walk" signal was still glowing a bright red in the evening city darkness. She never noticed it. Looking down at a dull throb on her left foot, black scuffed lines ruined the tip of her grey shoes. Her foot must have tapped that car's tire. "I'm fine," Miwa said, pulling her elbow free from his grip, but the painful twinge of his fingers digging into her skin still lingered. "Sorry. I was just…thinking about things."

Kurama lowered his hand. "About Takeo?"

The traffic light changed, the cars came to a stop, and the signal switched to allow pedestrian crossing. Miwa immediately stepped into the street. The train station was right ahead. "I have until next week to decide."

He jogged to catch up. "You're still planning to erase yourself, aren't you."

"It's the right thing to do."

When they safely reached the opposite sidewalk, Kurama stepped in front of her. "It's not the only thing you can do."

"...You don't need to worry," she huffed. "I'll figure this out."

"Aren't you curious about what he would want?"

"..." She stuffed her hands into her pockets and walked past him. "The truth would be too much for him to take in. It'll only hurt him in the end."

"Miwa." He grabbed her elbow again. The grip of his fingers still hurt. "With that kind of thinking, you're making the same mistake I did."

She stopped, this time of her own volition. "...What mistake?"

"With the Forlorn Hope, or with you and your oath. I assumed I knew what was best for the other person's life."

Miwa bit her lip. A few hours ago, Negura told her that she would know best how to return Takeo to his life. The exact thing Kurama just called his "mistake."

"You found another way when you decided your After," he continued, slowly removing his hand. "You decided what was best for yourself. Don't you think Takeo deserves the same?"

"That's not exactly something I can ask him."

"You can." He took her hand - gently this time - and pressed a resealable bag into her palm. "At least, if that's what you want to do."

The bag was small, merely half the size of her palm. Inside was a powdered mixture of pollen, powdered tree bark and shredded bits of leaves from multicolored herbs. Breeds that Miwa recognized from the Demon World, and a combination she had not seen for a very long time. Immediately, she knew the implications. "Wouldn't this be considered some kind of mischief towards humans?"

"They're already having you rewrite a human's memory," he pointed out. "Clearly, the ends justify the means when they want you to 'set things right' for him."

Miwa looked down at the bag again. This was a mixture Kurama created a long time ago, and it became something she used rather frequently after following him. Derived from the pollen of the forgetfulness plant, inhaling it induced a temporary suggestive state, and the whole experience would quickly be forgotten. It wasn't very powerful, and the tiny amount Kurama gave her would barely be effective on a human. But, in another life, Miwa used a more potent version to make demons spill their most guarded secrets. Whatever she asked a person under the mixture's effects, she would get their honest answer, no matter what.

"You don't have to use this," Kurama said, sensing her hesitation, "and maybe Takeo can never make a true decision on his own without the truth irrevocably changing his life. But you and Yusuke showed me how wrong my assumptions were. …Just asking what Takeo would want could help you decide."

Even with the barrier between worlds gone, preparing this couldn't have been a simple task. Not something he could have prepared on a whim. If Kurama were in Demon World, it would have still taken a few days, at minimum, just to find the proper ingredients. How long had he been planning on giving this to her? How much work did it take to get this stuff here?

"...Thank you," Miwa said, and she looked down. "I'm sorry to drag you into my mess."

"You didn't drag me into anything," Kurama insisted. "If there's something I can do to help you, Miwa, then I want to do it."

A familiar burn warmed Miwa's cheeks, and she was angry at herself for being unable to hide it. He was being way too nice. Paying too much attention to her and her problems. …It made her feel so exposed, so useless in finding her own way through her After. Even with the car, her instincts would have kicked in and she would dodge it, or the impact itself wouldn't be enough to hurt a full-blooded demon. Of course, either scenario would draw unwanted attention to her, but that wasn't the reason Kurama grabbed her arm. She knew from his fingers grabbing her elbow, and the throbbing pain lingering like an ink stain on her skin. The strength of his grip, the look on his face when she came to her senses. He was just worried for her, and Miwa didn't know how to face that anymore.

Especially when he was right.

{00}

Two days before Shirai arrived in Living World, Miwa put her plan into action.

When school ended, she spent time with Saya and Taichi as usual, but in her mind, she was just waiting for Takeo to finish work. Wherever she went, whatever she did, her thoughts always returned to the mixture Kurama gave her. A constant reminder of what she was going to do. She left the campus at her usual time, keeping up the appearance of "normal," but Kurama caught on anyway and offered to accompany her. Miwa refused, insisting on doing it all herself. Takeo's situation was entirely her responsibility.

To her surprise, he pulled back without resistance.

It was a rare day for her to leave school alone, but her head was so full of potential outcomes that she didn't notice the difference. The walk was slow and arduous, despite her pace being completely normal. She used this same mixture many times in the past, in much larger doses on more powerful targets, but it had never weighed on her more than it did on this day. Miwa planned out every detail, every step to put Takeo under its influence, and every question she would ask. The only variable was Takeo's response, and Miwa did not know what answer she was hoping to hear.

She checked her watch. Takeo would be home in about an hour. There was no need to rush, but Miwa felt her pace quickening all the same.

"Hello there," came a familiar voice.

Miwa stopped. Her walk had her pass by a used bookstore and a face she knew well. "Hi, Kaito."

Yuu Kaito shifted a small paper bag in his arms. He had just made a purchase from that store, no doubt. "Fancy meeting you here," he said, holding up a hand in a friendly wave.

"Yeah, I've never seen you in this part of town before."

Kaito glanced back at the shop. "Recently, I've taken a liking to visiting shops in new areas. I'm already familiar with the selections of bookstores near my house."

"I see." She looked down at the paper bag. There must have been at least three books in there. "I'm glad you found something you wanted."

"Yes, me too. It was nice seeing you, Shimizu."

He was excusing himself to leave, but before he could even shift his weight to take the first step, Miwa blurted out, "Can I ask you a weird question?"

It made him pause, and a twitch of curiosity curled his lip upward. "Of course. Coming from you, I imagine it to be a very interesting one."

She clenched her teeth. Plans and possibilities flooded her mind the whole day, and finally she trapped herself in a sudden, impulsive act. There was no turning back now. "Have you ever regretted coming to know that demons, ghosts…all that stuff was real?"

Kaito and his two friends were unique cases. They learned of the supernatural long after childhood - the age when humans are most susceptible to that world - and became deeply involved in an apocalyptic event. But when it was all over and the world was saved, they went right back to their human lives. Genkai warned them against using their Territory, unless their lives were in immediate danger, because continuous use would make them a walking beacon to demons with ill intent. Miwa was impressed that, despite obtaining a unique and interesting power, Kaito relinquished it completely and was "normal" again. The only difference between him and other humans was that he carried the knowledge of demons and another world.

After careful consideration, Kaito answered. "No, not really."

Miwa blinked. This was the same nonchalance from the House of Four Dimensions, where Kaito slouched in his chair, reading a book as they played their game of Taboo. "It doesn't scare you or anything?" she asked. "You share this world with them now."

"A demon is standing right in front of me, and I am not afraid." He adjusted his glasses with a finger, pretending to look more closely at her. "Perhaps years of reading fiction primed me for the mental adjustment, but if I learned anything from our fantastic adventure, it's that humans can be just as dangerous." He shrugged, maintaining his casual nonchalance. "Demon heritage doesn't automatically denote an enemy. I know there are those like you, Shuichi, and even Urameshi out there looking after us."

It was a simple reason, of which Miwa herself was aware. Her actions for the past five years were, at least in part, for the protection of Living World. But despite the simplicity, she found her spirits lifted a little bit. "I suppose that's true," she said, smiling for what felt like the first time that day.

"I hope that answer satisfied your curiosity."

"It did. Thanks."

They bade each other good-bye and parted ways. As they turned their backs to each other, Kaito made a sudden change in plans: to make a direct beeline to the nearest payphone.

Miwa, unaware of his new destination, returned home with a lighter weight hanging over her thoughts. Kaito and Takeo's experiences with demons were very different, and there was no guarantee Takeo would feel the same way as him. But the reassurance made Miwa's task feel slightly less wicked. For a while, each step closer to her apartment didn't feel like her shoes were full of lead. There was no nervous hesitation when sticking her key into the lock, and she pushed the front door open with surprising vigor.

She did not, however, expect to see Takeo already inside the moment she walked in.

"Welcome back!" he called, a spoon full of curry hovering inches from his mouth.

He had even prepared dinner. Takeo sat at the dining table, halfway through his own meal of curry and rice. In the kitchen behind him, the pot was half full of still-warm curry that he had surely left out for her. He even set an empty plate on the counter.

"You're home early," was all a stunned Miwa could say. She forced herself to kick off her shoes to keep up the appearance of "normal."

"Lucky for me. Today was so busy that I ended up skipping lunch." He stuffed the spoon into his mouth and swallowed after chewing only twice. "How was your day?"

"Uh… Same as always," she lied, crossing the apartment to her room as quickly as she could. "Bumped into a classmate on my way home."

"Anyone I know?"

Miwa's palm closed over her bedroom doorknob. "No, one of Shuichi's classmates. He's an interesting guy."

Takeo hid a surprised cough under the noise of Miwa's door opening and closing. She ignored it and tossed her bag carelessly to the side. Although she never suspected he would snoop through her room, Miwa still hid the mixture in her desk drawer, under the box where she stored her lotus hair ornament. Takeo's early return accelerated her plans quite a bit, but after calming herself in the silence of her room, Miwa decided she preferred this surprise. At least Takeo wouldn't be put out of commission for the day without eating dinner. At least she wouldn't have to sit through a meal with him stressing over her plans. She opened the bag, spilled the powdered contents into her palm, and closed her fingers into a fist.

It'd be simple. Just like a magic trick.

When she returned to the dining table, Takeo looked up from his now empty plate. "You didn't change out of your uniform?"

Miwa slid into her chair. "No. That can wait."

Takeo's bright mood dimmed, but he stood up and took his plate to the sink. "Do you want me to make your plate? Or if you're not hungry, I can-"

"Just sit down first."

The empty plate he prepared was slowly set back on the counter. Takeo's mood diminished completely, adjusting to the seriousness of Miwa's tone. He sat down as requested, his expression both wary and concerned. "Himari, what's-"

"Don't worry about it. You won't remember this part anyway."

Before he could question her, she raised her fist, and Takeo looked down to acknowledge it. Miwa uncurled her fingers to reveal the hidden powder, and he frowned. Forcing herself to act before intrusive thoughts took over, she gently blew the powder into his face. Takeo recoiled, squeezed his eyes shut, and slapped a palm over his mouth and nose. But it was too late. Within seconds, that palm dropped into his lap and his eyes fluttered open, gazing ahead without focus or thought. A blank stupor that showed none of his usual warmth and energy. Like his very soul had been removed.

She did that to him. Of her own accord.

"...Things are going to change around here, Takeo," she said. Slowly, he raised his dazed head to look towards the voice. "And there are some things I want to know."

After a second of slow contemplation, he nodded.

"How long were you planning to keep your parents asking you to come home a secret from me?"

"...A long time," he mumbled, "at least until after you were settled into college."

"Why didn't you even ask how I'd feel about that?" Miwa immediately bit her tongue. Planned or not, she chastised herself for the hypocritical question. "...Don't you want to take over their business?"

"I do, but I didn't want to upend the life you've built here, and it might be the last chance for me to look after you as a parent."

The next question got caught in Miwa's throat. She had already heard from Iizuna about the first part, but the second…she had no idea. "I don't want you holding yourself back because of me," she said, abandoning her next question. "I've already burdened you with so much. A liar like me shouldn't even be in this house."

Confessing like this was useless. Takeo wouldn't remember anything that happened from the moment she sat down at the table. This was not part of her plan. It was just self-gratification, her guilt spilling out as words no one would ever truly hear.

"...I'm not even your real daughter."

Takeo's head tilted slowly to the side. His stare, blank as it was, bore right into her eyes. "...I know."

Miwa jolted back, her chair lifting off its two front legs. "H-how?"

"Your age, and who I was at the time you were born. I fooled around a lot back in the day, so it's not impossible. But…" His head tilted to the other side, as if he were thinking, but his blank stare never wavered. "...the details just never felt right."

Five years ago, Iizuna possessed this man and forced him to believe a long-lost daughter had come to live with him. But Iizuna's brainwashing wasn't perfect. It depended on the host's memories filling in information to finish the story. Iizuna would have known about Takeo's delinquent past, and he was counting on that to complete the brainwashing. It was why he placed Himari Shimizu with him. But for the first time, Miwa saw the gaps in the arrangements Iizuna left behind. The puzzle pieces that never quite fit, which Takeo had purposefully ignored.

"Then why did you let me live here?" Miwa asked, completely forgetting her script by the second wave of unexpected information "I'm a stranger to you. An intruder who forced herself into your life."

"...I was lonely." Finally, Takeo's blank gaze dropped. "Living on your own so far from home is hard. My college friends moved away and started families, but all I had was work. I came back to a silent, empty apartment every day for years."

"It's because I came here that you couldn't find anything else!"

Takeo shook his head. "I was about to give up on learning independence and run back home without accomplishing anything on my own. But then you appeared." A small smile slid up his cheeks. "Even though I had suspicions, I wasn't alone in this apartment anymore. You're a good kid, and you needed me. That was enough."

A hollowness emptied Miwa's chest, swallowing up her breath like her lungs were no longer necessary. Loneliness? Giving up? This was the first time she heard about anything like that. Without thinking, she stood up and paced around the living room. Takeo watched her, but her actions did not register behind that blank stare. Miwa searched her memories, going back through five years of interactions with this man to find any evidence of what he just said.

He said he changed his mind when she appeared, so it must have been around the time she first came to live in this apartment. Middle school, right as she was trying to fit into a human life. Back when "Himari Shimizu" was an assumed name to be close to Shuichi Minamino. Iizuna sent her to this place, saying Takeo Shimizu was an unmarried salaryman who lived far away from his family. No roommates, no girlfriend, no one in his everyday life who would seriously question the sudden appearance of a teenage daughter. What's more, he lived close to the Minamino house, so it was perfect for her to slip in, which is exactly what Miwa did. She faked being a human teenager as best she could, and they both stumbled through awkward moments as they learned to live together. She said strange things all the time, had no interest in making friends other than Shuichi Minamino, and often returned home late for such a young girl.

Miwa clenched her fist, understanding now why she had never noticed anything. Back then, she didn't care about Takeo. A teenager needed a family, and he played that role. For a snake who single-mindedly followed one oath, that was all she needed from him. What did the struggles and worries of this human mean to a demon who could abandon him and her assumed name the moment they became unnecessary? Obviously, someone like that wouldn't notice a man slowly putting himself back together from a loneliness that spanned many years.

She sat back down, where Takeo patiently waited. "I'm not human," she said, her planned script long forgotten. "I'm a water snake, a demon living under a human disguise." To prove herself, Miwa held out one hand and generated a small water sphere. The gesture was unnecessary. Takeo would not remember this either, no matter how impossible it seemed. "I invaded your home to be reunited with someone. But now… Now, I need to get off that path and lead my own life, without dragging down innocent people."

Takeo continued staring, silent and unmoving.

"I need to leave this place. You should go back to your family if that's what you want to do. But I want to know…" She paused, taking a deep breath to steady her nerves. "Would you rather forget I existed and move on? Or is this life something you want to remember?"

He could never remember this life. Not in its entirety. No matter what, Shirai will come and change the facts in this human's mind. But Kurama was right. This was the only way to do what was best for Takeo.

He tilted his head once more. "...What is your name?"

"Huh?"

"You are not human. You live with me in disguise. Is Himari not your real name?"

She blinked. While not impossible, it was rare for someone under the mixture's effects to ask questions. Somehow, this question was tied to his answer. "Miwa. My name is Miwa."

"Miwa…" Her own name sounded foreign when saying it in front of him. Even more so from his own mouth. "You saved me from my loneliness, Miwa. I don't want to forget you."

"...You're so strange," she said, her voice shaking. "Not even afraid of someone like me. Or angry."

"We are both strange, but you have never hurt me."

A light sting burned at the edges of her eyes. What an idiot. What a naive, overly-trusting, gentle-hearted idiot. This idiot's unconditional welcome into his life wormed its way into her heart without Miwa ever realizing it. She couldn't remember sincerely believing him to be a good man until she was studying earnestly to get into high school. Three years into their life together. The way he silently cheered her on, took on most of the house chores, or brought her snacks she never asked for while she studied late into the night. The way he made curry the day she passed those exams. The very same curry that was now cooling on the stove. The same curry she had, on many occasions, told him she really liked.

"Thank you."

Takeo smiled, his eyes seeing nothing, but the feelings inside showing through all the same.

"...You should go to bed now. When you wake up, the effects will be gone."

He obediently stood up and took slow, careful steps to his room. Miwa stayed in her chair, listening to each footfall, the open door closing behind him, and the soft squeak of bed springs as they took on his body's weight. As she sat alone at the dining table, plans for what she would write on those forms quickly came together in her mind.

He knew. All this time, he knew…

Miwa took a deep breath, calming herself until the sting in her eyes faded away. When she was confident that she at least looked normal again, she also stood up. But rather than going to her room, she opened the front door. Propping it open with her foot stretched back, she leaned over the railing and looked at the street below.

"If you're done standing around, you can come in."

Without waiting for an answer, she went back inside, making sure the door was unlocked. Miwa plopped herself on the couch, only waiting a few short minutes before the front door opened again. When Kurama crossed the threshold, his eyes quickly swept over the room, and immediately he noted Takeo's absence and the light sounds of snoring down the hall.

"I take it you have your answer," he said.

Miwa laid her head back and stared at the ceiling. "You couldn't hear from down there?"

"No, and you asked me not to intrude." He cautiously approached and leaned against the couch's armrest, facing opposite her so she did not need to feel seen. "But then, Kaito called and said you asked him an unusual question. I wanted to be sure you were alright."

She looked away, unsure if the normal face she pulled together was enough to reassure him. Which was dumb since he wasn't even looking at her. "You would have come even if Kaito didn't call you."

He chuckled. "Maybe."

"...Takeo knew all along that I wasn't his daughter." She heard him shift, but he did not turn around. "He knew I was a stranger, but he let me stay because he was lonely before I arrived."

"Iizuna didn't say anything about that?"

Miwa shook her head, ignoring the fact that he still couldn't see her. "Unless you give him money, that annoying weasel likes to keep the important secrets for himself."

"Then, do you know what you're going to do?"

She sat up, her focus unexpectedly landing on the TV in front of her. It wasn't switched on, but if it was, it would surely be playing the same channel as the variety shows Takeo liked to watch. Miwa knew what she would do. The idea had been stirring in the back of her head for some time. One of the many possibilities that cycled through her mind these past few weeks. Now, she was certain it was the best thing for both her and Takeo Shimizu.

Miwa explained her plan to Kurama, and he agreed.

Without thinking, she leaned to the side, and her shoulder thumped against his back. The cold air from outside clung to his thick, orange jacket. How long had he been standing out there? He had come dressed in normal clothes, so he was home long enough to change out of his uniform before getting Kaito's phone call. Miwa thought about looking at the clock to see how much time had passed since she parted with Kaito, but she decided it wasn't worth the effort. Kurama was trying his best to stay still for her. Leaning in a bit more, she was relieved he could not see her face. The existence of the blush staining her cheeks was embarrassing enough, and she was embarrassed for struggling so much on this first big step into her After. However, she was also grateful he ignored her demand to let her handle this on her own. To stew in the surprising revelation alone would have been…difficult. But she could not say that aloud; the embarrassment kept her lips sealed.

Miwa sat there, quietly leaning against him until the surface of his jacket was no longer as cold as the air outside. When she finally found the will to speak again, she sat up, and their eyes met as he turned around.

"Do you want some curry?"

{00}

Four days later, Takeo lay in bed staring blankly at the ceiling. The apartment was silent, as were the streets outside. The streetlights filtering through his curtains were the only illumination he had. His digital alarm clock did not tick the seconds away, but in the silence of the early morning, Takeo almost believed he could hear the electricity buzzing through the hunk of plastic showing that it was 3:00 AM. He pulled his comforter up to his chin, but the warmth protecting him from the cold autumn weather did nothing to ease him to sleep. His mind was too full of thoughts. Too full of concern for what was to come for Himari.

The day after he came home early, he had the inexplicable urge to finally tell her about his parents' request for him to return home. He kept the secret for so long. In several months, she would be starting university; it wasn't the right time to uproot her entire life here. Inviting so much instability and change during a pivotal shift in her education was, in his opinion, the worst thing he could do as a parent. The least he could do to help ease the transition was maintain a stable, familiar home life. Takeo remembered all too well how stiff and out of her element Himari had been when she first came five years ago. It was almost like he invited a foreigner to live with him.

But, despite that strong conviction, his secret spilled out so freely, as if he had said all of this before. When the words tumbled out of his mouth, he did not see any hint of surprise or confusion in his daughter's eyes. No curious turn of the head, no raised eyebrows, and no emotional protests. Takeo expected her to question what would happen to her, or to her life at Meio. That was the reaction he envisioned every day he kept the secret.

Instead, she sat calmly in her chair at the dining table, and rather than ask about herself, she simply asked, "Why didn't you mention this sooner?"

Takeo explained his reasoning, but not even that was enough to surprise her. It was as if Himari had known all along. Without even pausing to think, she followed up with a surprising proposition.

"You should go back. I'll be fine here on my own."

Takeo pressed his palms anxiously into the table. "But you're still in high school. I couldn't just-"

"I showed you the list of colleges I wrote on that school form, right? They're all in this area. Me leaving doesn't make sense, but that doesn't mean I should hold you back."

He stared at her, his parental guardian mentality absolutely dumbfounded. He never expected her to respond this way. "But where would you… How would you-?"

"A friend of mine introduced me to a job," Himari interrupted, somehow knowing exactly what he was going to ask. "They don't mind employing high schoolers. I'm almost eighteen anyway, and they have…housing for employees, if needed."

"...What kind of job is it?" He didn't understand. How was he more anxious than her? Her quick acceptance made Takeo feel like he was speaking with someone older than himself. It was so bizarre.

Himari leaned back casually in her seat. "Kind of an on-the-grounds position for a social work company. But my role would mainly be talking with people new to this area and helping them settle in."

"And they want high school students to do that?"

"It's just talking. But, they might have more in common with me than you think. Some might even be my age."

Something about her smile made Takeo suspicious. He didn't recognize this look on her face. He could, in theory, imagine a social worker wanting younger employees to engage with foster kids in their teens, or younger. He could even imagine Himari doing well in this job, as someone who was also dropped into this town and in an unfamiliar home. But this wasn't the smile of confidence. It was like Himari made a joke he would never understand, and he couldn't even identify the punchline.

They spoke at length for the next couple hours, but somehow the discussion focused more on this new job than Takeo's original subject. Himari stood her ground, explaining the reasons she would be fine on her own as many times as she needed to. Down to the last detail, like she had been planning this for months. She was convinced of her success, and he eventually conceded. As a parent, it made him feel shameful to give in, but he asked Himari to let him think things through.

Those thoughts kept him awake at night, even days later. He didn't want Himari to know how much her proposal was throwing him off. This, too, would be shameful as a parent if he could not keep himself calm and earnestly consider Himari's goals. He forced himself to never pace around his room, instead thinking things through in bed while pretending to be asleep. But in the dark silence, the thoughts and considerations passed through his mind like a looping video tape. The reasons why he did not feel comfortable leaving her alone, and the reasons he was certain she would be alright. The Himari who explained her plans to him was a very different person from the young girl who waltzed into his life five years ago. Within the last few months alone, she spent her days far surer of herself than he ever remembered her being. Whereas a little more than a year ago, a spectral doubt haunted her no matter what she did.

A bittersweet ache spread through his chest. When did that girl suddenly become so grown up?

What would be the harm in letting her do as she pleased? She'd never given him reason to worry. Nothing to make him suspect she was hanging with dangerous crowds. Himari was a good girl who made good friends. After five years of figuring out their lives together, Takeo trusted her and her judgment, and he wanted to trust in her belief that she would be okay. This wasn't much different from sending her off to university, right? It's just that for them, things were happening sooner than expected.

Takeo rolled to his side and pulled the comforter closer. He wanted to believe that. To believe in her. But it was so damn hard to let go…

Hushed whispers outside his room cut through the silence and interrupted his thoughts.

Takeo remained perfectly still, maintaining his feigned sleep. He could not distinguish any words being spoken, but he was certain a conversation was happening out in the living room. A slow tingle of panic crawled up his spine. Who was out there? Were he and Himari in danger? Slowly, he pushed the covers off his body and lowered his feet to the ground. As silently as he could possibly muster, Takeo stood up, mindful of his distribution of weight with every movement. He knew best which floorboards creaked, and if he was careful, the voices outside would be none the wiser. Step by step, he inched his way closer to the door, throwing all his spare focus to interpreting the whispers.

"...it's best if you stay out here."

That voice was definitely not Himari. The cadence was all wrong, and even in hushed tones, the voice was too deep.

"I don't intend to sound untrusting, but I agree," whispered another voice Takeo did not recognize, but it did sound female. "We have already had to deal with impulsive interference during memory rewrites."

The tingle of panic intensified. Was he hearing incorrectly? What were they talking about? Who were these voices talking in his living room?

"You don't have to worry about me," whispered a third voice.

Takeo's heart leapt into his throat. That was Himari. He was certain. Did she invite people into the apartment after midnight? Straightening up, Takeo reached out to grab his bedroom doorknob. He needed to know just what was going on.

But, before he could even touch the knob's cool metal, the deep-toned voice suddenly said aloud, "Oh, it appears we have been discovered."

The voice was of an adult male, but Takeo only had the time to recognize that single fact. In the next instant, his bedroom door swung open, and an unfamiliar face peered inside. The man was tall, his face framed on the right side by long, teal bangs, and his gentle demeanor emitted no hostility. Behind him was a blond bespectacled woman dressed in formal business attire. A quiet groan behind them came from Himari, standing some feet away and frowning in frustration at the whole operation being found.

"Himari, what-"

The blond woman's yellow eyes flashed through her glasses as brightly as the streetlamps, momentarily illuminating the room. Takeo flinched. A warm, invisible pressure circled around his arms, legs, and waist, effortlessly lifting him into the air as if he were weightless. Panic spread through Takeo's body as quickly as a gasoline fire. He tried to struggle, but the pressure kept his limbs in a fixed position. Struggling too much would only hurt himself, and that made Takeo more confused. Floating? Eyes lighting up like flashlights? An invisible force dragging him back towards his bed? A million questions raced through Takeo's mind; he couldn't even find words to speak. All he could manage was repeatedly calling Himari's name as she watched from afar, but she did not come to his aid. She just observed passively, understanding everything that was happening.

The pressure released, dropping his body onto the mattress like a rag doll. Takeo scrambled up into a sitting position, but in the literal blink of an eye, the teal-haired man crossed the entire room and pressed a warm palm to Takeo's forehead. Somehow, the man's composed, tight-lipped smile was more frightening than his impossible speed.

Himari stepped forward, and the blond woman grabbed her shoulder. "Please stay back, Miwa," the woman warned.

…? I've heard that name before…

"Don't worry. He is my friend." Himari said, speaking directly to Takeo. "And…you won't remember this part either."

The warmth of the man's palm spread onto Takeo's skin, seeping deeper and deeper, searching for his brain. Then, Takeo's whole body jolted, and his mind flooded with hundreds of thoughts and images, speeding through at an incomprehensible speed. His eyes squeezed shut involuntarily, and soon Takeo began to recognize bits and pieces of the images. Himari. They were all Himari.

"Rest assured," said the man's voice, cutting through all the visual chaos, "I am merely changing some of the facts."

The reassurance was completely meaningless to Takeo.

Faint, ghostly voices soon joined the flurry of images, all talking over each other like multiple televisions playing at once. Takeo could not focus on a single sentence. It was all too fast. His only certainty was that, in the cacophony of sound, he recognized his own voice and Himari's. Time lost its meaning. Minutes, hours, days could have been passing by and Takeo would not be able to perceive them. His whole world became a frenzy of visuals and sound, of information, of his life.

Of Himari, his daughter…his foster daughter.

{00}

Saya could not have possibly been more excited to meet a new friend.

On a cool weekday afternoon, she and Taichi had plans to meet up with Himari at a small shopping mall a couple stations away from their school. Saya chose the place because despite its size, it had a little bit of everything: good food, fun activities, many clothes, and even a movie theater. Everything Saya liked in one location. She and Taichi waited patiently at the mall's center, where a large fountain served both as decoration and as a convenient meeting spot. But, more than the mall and the pleasant sound of water bubbling in the pool, the prospect of meeting someone new was what made the day particularly exciting and special to Saya. For the first time in their nearly three-year friendship, Himari was going to introduce them to someone from the city where she used to live. Finally, someone was willing and able to make the trip here.

"What do you think he's like?" Saya mused.

"Who knows," Taichi said, scanning all the faces that passed by. "She only told us his name and that he was a little older than us." He tilted his head. "Are you sure this isn't the guy Shimizu said she liked?"

"Positive," Saya answered immediately. "Keep up, Taichi, that guy already turned her down, and Himari insisted this is a different person. Besides…" She tapped her chin. A certain mood had been brewing between Himari and Minamino since they came back, and just imagining the potential made her grin from ear to ear.

Taichi frowned at how diabolical she looked. "Besides what?"

"Never mind. If you haven't noticed, then just keep being yourself." Saya paced along the edge of the fountain, ignoring Taichi's scrutinizing stare. But, in her impatience, she did not notice a woman in her path until they already bumped shoulders. "Oh! I'm so sorry."

The woman, a blond with sharp eyes and formal business attire, readjusted her wide-rimmed glasses and said, "It's quite alright," before walking away with the most perfect posture Saya had ever seen.

She disappeared into a crowd of people standing outside a small boutique, and Saya quickly shoved the embarrassing incident to the back of her mind. Checking her watch, the hands showed it was five minutes to 5:00 PM. Five more minutes before their decided meeting time. "Anyway," she said, turning her attention back to Taichi. "I wonder why it took so long for someone to come visit Himari."

"She's had to go back multiple times, right? I mean, she never tells us why, but maybe this Shirai person felt bad for never making the trip from his side." He tilted his head curiously. "All this secrecy sometimes makes me wonder if Shimizu is actually part of a gangster family."

"...What?"

Taichi shrugged. "Why else would she keep it all a secret? Maybe she came here to get away from it all, but they keep dragging her back in. And Minamino disappears sometimes too, so somehow, he got involved."

"Don't be silly, Taichi. This isn't a movie."

"What's not a movie?" asked Himari's voice.

Saya beamed and whirled around. From several paces away, Himari approached them with a casual wave. Beside her was a very tall, pale-skinned man with teal hair. His smile was pleasant and friendly, and indeed he appeared older. Maybe a college student? Or a recent college graduate? It was difficult to discern age from the delicate features of his handsome face. One moment he would look young, and another moment an unknown something would shimmer underneath his pleasant smile, like a hidden wisdom you'd never see from someone still in school. That unknown something was somehow very familiar to Saya.

"This is Shirai," Himari said, gesturing with her palm. "He lived in the same housing complex as me some time ago, and he's helped me out a lot."

"I am happy to finally meet some of Himari's friends," Shirai said, bowing his head very politely.

Saya and Taichi both reflexively bowed their own heads in return. This felt more formal than either of them was used to. Did Himari somehow bring them a posh gentleman from another wealthier country? In their bewilderment, they both failed to notice Himari did not give them Shirai's last name.

"I'm Saya Kimura," she said, almost stuttering over her words. "I've been in the same class as Himari since our first year."

"I'm Taichi Tsutsumi." He collected himself much faster than Saya. "Not in the same class, but we're in the same year. Nice to meet you."

"The pleasure is all mine."

Saya clasped her hands behind her back. "I would love to hear what Himari was like before she came here."

Shirai and Himari glanced at each other, and their expressions changed at the exact same time. His thin smile grew wider, and he chuckled with a good-natured spirit. Himari looked awkwardly to the side, wrapping her arms defensively around her middle.

"Quite the adventurous type, I would say," Shirai said, taking pleasure in Himari's embarrassment. "How about we all find a place to sit before we begin to chat?"

"Oh, of course!" Saya grabbed Taichi's shoulders, spun him around in the direction of the food court, and forced him to join her in leading the group. "There's a place down this way that sells really great-"

A large, unfamiliar hand closed around her wrist. In the corner of her eye, she saw a pale hand of equal size land on the top of Taichi's head. Before all thoughts in her mind ceased, Saya had just enough time to marvel at how warm the hand felt on her bare skin.

{00}

As promised, Miwa brought Shirai to Yusuke's ramen stall the evening following his introduction to Saya and Taichi. Kuwabara and Kurama were already there when they arrived, and Kuwabara graciously welcomed the new face to their regular dinner outings. Shirai took a liking to his friendliness immediately, and Kuwabara proudly explained the menu in detail to help him decide. And just as he promised, Yusuke slipped in a free side of gyoza as his own show of welcome. Over their dinner, Miwa and Shirai recounted their busy schedule since his arrival in Living World.

After hearing the whole story, Yusuke howled with laughter and slapped the counter with his full palm. "So, you're saying," he wheezed, "Not only did you rewrite their memories in the middle of a public mall, but then the four of you ate fancy little cakes immediately after?!"

Shirai chuckled. "That is correct."

Yusuke threw his head back, unable to respond with anything else but more laughter.

"That sounds a bit risky, to me," said Kurama, his eyebrows furrowed.

"It didn't take very long," Miwa explained. "Less stuff to rewrite compared to Takeo. Trust me, it just looked like he was being friendly."

After slurping down a large clump of noodles, Kuwabara asked, "They weren't confused or anything? I mean, I can't imagine getting your memory rewritten in the middle of a conversation."

"The process did confuse them, for a moment. They momentarily forgot where they were heading. But once Miwa reminded them, everything continued as normal."

Miwa held her head in her hands. "It was surreal seeing the three of them at the same table…"

Yusuke exhaled loudly through his nose. "Yeah, I'll bet."

"So…was that it?" Kuwabara asked, leaning closer to Shirai. "Now you're just here to visit Miwa?"

Shirai shook his head. "There is one more stop in my itinerary."

"He is coming to my house next. Tonight, actually," said Kurama, calmly refilling his water glass.

"Oh." Kuwabara recoiled at the revelation. "Yeah, I guess your family is involved in all this, too."

Kurama sensed his deflated mood and reassured him with a casual laugh. "It's not much to rewrite, just like with Miwa's friends. And rather than a stranger, I am grateful to know the person coming."

"Fair enough," Kuwabara said, recovering his energy and focusing back on his food.

"Are you gonna sneak in like a burglar again?" Yusuke asked, still grinning, and pretending to tiptoe, his fingers wiggling in front of him like a creepy gremlin.

"It is the simplest way to go unnoticed," Shirai answered, "Takeo being awake was…unexpected, but Negura handled it well."

Miwa looked down at her bowl. "I didn't realize our talk kept him up at night like that. It was three in the morning…"

"From what I gathered," Shirai said thoughtfully, looking ahead but not focusing on anything, "some of the emotions he felt during his suggestive state remained. In an unconscious capacity, he remembered you wanted him to go back to his family, which was why he brought it up to you on his own."

Kurama also looked at his bowl, but more out of thoughtful consideration. "We've used that powder on humans before, but we've never heard about an aftereffect like that. I can't say if it's because Takeo is a human or because the dosage was smaller."

"Both could be possible," Shirai said, "but humans are emotional creatures, after all." He looked at Miwa. "Perhaps what you said really left an impression on him. A good one. He believes you will be okay."

Miwa looked away, thankful no one was sitting on her right side. It was embarrassing how often she blushed these days.

"Well," Yusuke said, dramatically brushing off his hands, "the long story short is that Miwa's now a foster kid that was staying with a guy who happened to have the same last name. Simple enough to remember."

"You're only saying that because you don't have to remember a new name for her," Kuwabara sneered.

"Watch it, Kuwabara, don't piss off the guy who makes your food!"

"Anyway," Kurama cut in immediately, "We haven't heard yet what Shirai has been doing since the tournament."

"Oh yeahhh," Yusuke said, forgetting about Kuwabara completely. "From how Miwa explained it, it sounds like this isn't your normal gig."

Shirai chuckled. "It is similar work, to be fair. I am on patrol with many others who lost in the tournament. A different region from where your friend, Hiei, is stationed, and it is nothing exciting, but…" He held up his hand. "As you can guess, my skills are quite useful in returning lost humans home."

Kuwabara snickered. "Yeah, I bet you don't send anybody back with enough memories to make a creepy witness sketch for the newspaper."

Miwa joined him in the snickering, but Shirai did not understand the reference.

"And Yomi is still on his training journey?" Kurama asked.

Shirai nodded, not looking in Kurama's direction as he was too amused by Kuwabara and Miwa. "It seems they are doing well together. His letters read just like a father bragging about his son."

"Well, in case the kid wants to change things up a bit, could you let 'em know that I'm always ready for a sparring match?" Yusuke grinned, puffing his chest out proudly.

"They would be delighted to hear that."

From the outside, the five of them looked completely ordinary. Five friends were spending time together over a meal, one of whom was serving the food. Any human walking by may have been a bit confused by their conversation, but it wasn't so outlandish that they would ruminate over it all the way home. And yet, their group was anything but ordinary by Living World's standards. Two were born in this world, but only one was a full-blooded human. Three were supernatural beings from another dimension, two of which were living in disguise. The third, while having an unusual hair color and pale skin, had only been in this dimension for a little over twenty-four hours, but he sat eating as if he were in no way out of place. Their group was small, each coming from vastly different backgrounds, but they somehow all came together as friends eating their bowls of ramen under the lap light of a former king's stall.

At the same time, this kind of scene was now possible thanks to the open passage between worlds. As time moved on, as each world learned more about the other, a scene like this may one day become commonplace. One step closer to the world Genkai envisioned.

{00}

The next week was unsettlingly normal. Miwa must have looked extremely paranoid for how on-guard she behaved around her friends and Takeo. She gave Shirai exact instructions on what needed to be rewritten, but she was still wary of any moment where their new memories caught her off guard and she said something wrong or incomprehensible. But, despite her paranoia, everything was incredibly smooth. Another demon under Negura's supervision handled the rewrites and updated paperwork necessary for Himari Shimizu's school and civil records. It was, in an odd way, much like what Iizuna had done for her when she first came to this dimension. Except now, it was legally sanctioned. All Miwa had to do was keep on living her life, and she was quickly given her first client.

Just three days after Saya and Taichi's memories were rewritten, Negura introduced Miwa to Rakuen. The jorougumo, or female spider demon, was visiting the human world for the first time and very uncertain about traveling alone. Including their first introduction, Miwa had already spoken with Rakuen three times. Not that Miwa really minded. She was excited to get started on her new job, and Rakuen was a very agreeable person. She was tall with long, silky black hair and skinny arms and legs. Jorougumo could naturally shapeshift into the form of a beautiful human woman, and Rakuen was no exception. Her sharp eyes and contoured cheek bones gave her the impression that she walked right off a modeling runway. In the three times they met, Rakuen got many stares and second glances from both men and women, making Miwa feel unusually plain by comparison.

Rakuen liked to meet in the open areas outside of a major train station two stops away from Miwa's school. She enjoyed watching the hundreds of people pass by, wondering what each of them could be doing. They both were leaning against a large billboard posted against the station's outer wall. The ticket gate was to their right, and waves of people would file out every time a train stopped by. The space thankfully garnered enough traffic where their conversations would unlikely be overheard, even on a Saturday afternoon. Too many people focused on their own lives to listen in on two girls talking by a billboard.

"Before the barrier went down, I only ever saw humans who happened to stumble into Demon World," Rakuen said, eyeing a woman across the street staring at a patisserie's window display. "And they're usually too disoriented to really…well, talk to me, you know?"

"Have you talked to anyone since coming here?" Miwa asked. She too watched the woman outside the patisserie, and the photos in the display looked delicious.

"Not at length. Only short conversations with people in stores or those people who hand out…tissue packets?" Miwa nodded to confirm the phrase was correct, and Rakuen continued. "I've thought about introducing myself to people, but I don't really know if I'll be able to carry on a real conversation with a human."

Miwa nodded again, this time in understanding. "Honestly, for at least a year, I didn't really talk that much with humans, even though I was living and going to school with them."

"I get that!" Rakuen said, looking excitedly at Miwa. "I don't know what to talk about! And even when I listen, I don't understand what they're talking about either. Are we even speaking the same language?"

"You are, I promise," Miwa said, laughing. "You'll get used to how they speak eventually."

"...You said you have human friends, right? How did that happen?"

"Um," Miwa looked contemplatively into the sky, thinking back to the days before she met Yusuke and Kuwabara. She became a close acquaintance to Takeo almost by default, so it was not a good example. But, comparing her days from middle school to high school, Saya was without a doubt the first real human friend she made. "We sat next to each other in class, and she asked if we could share a textbook since she forgot hers."

"Oh, a school friend," Rakuen said, her eyes sparkling with imagination. "So, you could gripe to each other about classes, teachers, and stuff?"

"Yup. I think you just need more exposure to their daily lives. Eventually, you'll have something in common with humans to talk about. If you tell them you're not from around here, they might even be more forgiving if you say something strange."

"Strange like what?"

"Well, I got a lot of strange looks when I asked what Rock-Paper-Scissors was. It's a very common human game."

"Oh! Can you teach me?"

Miwa explained the rules. It took a couple tries for Rakuen to get the timing right, but eventually, she was playing as if she had been doing it her whole life. She tended to throw out Paper first, but she enjoyed the simplicity of the game. Anyone with hands, human or demon, could play it, and it relied more on chance rather than power or skill. But when Miwa pointed out that she used Paper a lot, Rakuen contemplated aloud potential strategies to observe her opponent and increase her odds of winning.

Eventually, as their game slowed down, the imaginative sparkle in Rakuen's eyes faded. "You know," she started, looking back at the crowd of people passing by, "this place is so different from what I imagined."

Miwa remembered her own expectations of Living World. A simple, more peaceful world overrun by weaker creatures. Emotional beings with incredibly short and fragile lives. "What did you expect?"

"I've heard that most demons who come here could only make a living by turning to crime or the human's criminal underworld. But at the same time, the ones who couldn't defend themselves ran the risk of running into powerful human criminals that kept them prisoner, or tortured…"

Miwa bit the inside of her cheek, not wanting to tell Rakuen that she also dipped her toes into the demon underground for most of her time in the Living World. "I think, for some demons, it was really hard for them to integrate. Maybe they couldn't pass as a human, or they didn't care to learn how. Working for human criminals is an easy path to the more violent life they are accustomed to."

Rakuen frowned. "It's hard to integrate!" she exclaimed. "We can size each other up by power and act accordingly, but here, it's like…" She pursed her lips, trying to find the right words. "It's like there's an unwritten book of rules you have to follow just to walk on the streets!"

"You think so?"

She nodded fervently. "Waiting for the traffic signal to change even though there is nothing blocking your way, the silent expectation to give up your seat on the train to an old human, which side to stand on the…those moving stairs when you ride them up! I feel so rigid just walking myself to the store and buying myself dinner."

"Pay attention to the people around you, and you'll be fine," Miwa said, placing a reassuring hand on Rakuen's shoulder. "Humans usually live a very routine life. They can't gauge each other's abilities on sight, so they set up all these weird rules so things can run smoothly. I think it's meant to put everyone on the same page."

"If everyone is meant to be on the same page," Rakuen said, pouting, "they should publish a book or something on all these rules."

"You just described laws, Rakuen."

"That's not all of the rules, and you know it!"

They laughed, and to Miwa, the shared amusement felt genuine.

Rakuen looked down at her watch, and Miwa did the same. "I guess our time's up for today," Rakuen said, pushing herself off the billboard. After quickly dusting off her clothes, she checked that she had all her things. She wore a stylish purple sweater with a long, grey skirt. The elegance added to her natural beauty, and despite being relatively new to Living World, she picked up dressing in human fashion faster than Miwa ever did. "Tell me more stories of your school life next time," she added, "That's a world I don't think I can really enter like you have."

"Sure thing," Miwa responded, already raising a hand to wave good-bye, "I'll see you next time."

The spider waved with such a happy smile, and a couple high school boys stopped in their tracks to take in her beauty. Miwa tried not to laugh at the sight. She couldn't blame them for being so enchanted. Jorougumo entrapping men with their looks and charm was the subject of many folk tales among humans, although more recently in the form of fantasy rather than cautionary tale. But Rakuen seemed more interested in mingling with humans than capturing them. She crossed the street, pivoting at the last minute to enter the patisserie they were staring at earlier.

Once Rakuen was through the shop door, Miwa went straight for the station's ticket gate, passing through so she could go home. Descending the steps, she was glad that the platform was empty. She stood behind the painted line which marked where the train car's door would be and waited patiently. Two stops wasn't a long ride, an easy distance if the car was standing-room only, but when a train slowed to a stop just a few minutes later, Miwa easily found a seat by the door. She may have looked silly sitting with a proud smile on her face, but a smooth ride after a good session with her first and only client made Miwa feel like somehow, some way, she was getting a handle on life.

Maybe, just as Yusuke said, a job like this really did suit her. It had nothing to do with information gathering, tracking, or even fighting. All she had to do was understand the woes her clients expressed and use her own experience living as a human to help them through it. She, too, tried to figure out the unwritten rules of human society, stumbling blindly as she built a life around Himari Shimizu. Miwa found an unexpected joy in sharing this knowledge with demons who were in the same position as she was a few years ago. If more demons were like Rakuen, open to learning these strange new rules, then this dream of interdimensional relations slowly mending wasn't as grandiose as she once believed.

Fifteen minutes and two train stops later, Miwa exited the train, but as soon as the doors opened, a familiar scent caught her attention. She turned. Kurama was there, leisurely reading a book on a bench right by the escalator that would have taken her to the exit. From the looks of it, he had been sitting there for a while, waiting for something. …Waiting for her?

Curious, Miwa approached. "Hey, are you heading somewhere?"

He looked up at the sound of her voice and quickly snapped his book shut. "Welcome back," he said, pocketing the book and standing up. "Sorry to ambush you, but I wanted to catch you before you left the station."

"Did something happen?"

Kurama tilted his head, not looking particularly concerned. "I'm not sure. Yusuke called and asked if we could meet. It seems something unusual is happening to Keiko's schoolmates."

"Is this that 'freelancing' thing he mentioned?"

"It appears so. If you're not busy with something else today, he is having trouble figuring this out and wants our advice."

"I see." Something about Yusuke, of all people, wanting their advice gave her a bad feeling. The possibility of a demon causing trouble to put a damper on her previous optimism. Miwa looked up. Hanging from the platform roof was a board that projected the next few arriving trains. One heading towards Sarayashiki would be coming in about ten minutes. "Then, let's go."

{00}

When they arrived at Yusuke's apartment, Keiko was already there and ready to explain everything.

She attended a prestigious all-girls school. It was no surprise that a smart girl like her was able to get in, but the school even had dormitories for athletes who traveled from far away just to participate in the sports program. Keiko did not live in the dormitory, but two roommates named Hidemi Hirosawa and Naoko Sakurai were first-year students living there as part of the basketball club. The building itself was recently built, and there had never been strange rumors about it before. But for the past few days, strange things have been happening.

For multiple mornings in a row, a single footprint was left on the ground by their door, even when they locked it the previous night. It looked like traces of dirt and mud, but there was no muddy foot trail suggesting it came from outside. The footprint was human in size, but not in shape, looking more like it came from a clawed beast. The size of the footprint, far too large to be a stray animal, was unsettling enough. But morning after morning, the footprints came closer and closer to the beds where they slept. Too afraid to sleep, the girls stayed up all night, and to their relief, no footprint appeared. Not that night anyway. They were forced to leave the room for class and club activities, and when they returned, the footprint was right on the edge of their bed…

Or so they said. When Yusuke investigated at Keiko's request, he sensed nothing demonic or supernatural. Not a trace of ghosts or demons anywhere. He concluded that it must have been a prank. Some troublemakers living in the same dormitory who knew how to pick locks took pleasure in watching the two girls get scared. If they left it alone, Yusuke had advised, the culprit would get bored, and the problem would go away.

However, the problem escalated to an impossible level the very next day.

Despite Yusuke's reassurance, the two girls were still too scared to sleep in their room that night, so they spent the night in a friend's room. However, when they woke up the next morning, a blood-red handprint was left on Naoko Sakurai's ankle, like the creature tried to drag her out of bed as they slept. In a panic, the girls ran back to their own room, and the entire space was covered with both foot and handprints. The floor, the walls, and all over the furniture. The remnant of a creature desperate to find the residents. The two girls bolted out of the room to get their friends, but to make things even creepier, every foot and handprint disappeared in the five minutes they were gone. Yusuke couldn't explain it, so he called Kurama.

Sitting in a circle on the floor of Yusuke's bedroom, he and Keiko explained everything they knew. Kurama and Miwa took a moment to think and absorb all the information. It was clear Kurama was quickly piecing things together. Miwa, on the other hand, kept thinking back to a certain part of their story that did not make sense.

"Yusuke," she said seriously, looking him right in the eye, "how did you get into a girl's dormitory?"

She had expected him to look appalled that she would dare ask such a thing. Instead, his eyes widened, and his chest puffed out, full of indignation. "This one," he growled, pointing an accusing finger at Keiko, "forced me into a stupid drama club wig and one of her uniforms!"

Miwa raised an eyebrow. "Skirt and all?"

"Yeah!"

"Well, how else could I have gotten you in?" Keiko retorted calmly, as if Yusuke wasn't shouting right next to her. "Boys aren't allowed on campus, let alone the dorm."

She couldn't hold it in. Miwa let out a small snicker. "Gosh, I would have loved to see that."

"Y'know, Miwa, I haven't forgotten that we still haven't fought yet."

This time she laughed outright, ignoring his threat completely. "Next time, just ask me. I'll spare you from having to wear a skirt ever again."

"I was certain it was some kind of ghost," Keiko said, looking bashfully at the ground. "You work with demons, Miwa, so I thought it wasn't part of your job."

"Job or not, I still want to help!"

Kurama looked up. "Regardless, Yusuke didn't sense anything, so it can't be a demon or ghost. And if this was a human, the specifics should be relatively simple." He pointed down to Keiko's hand-drawn map of the dormitory. "Their room was empty for about five minutes. Most students were in the cafeteria for breakfast, leaving an opportunity for someone to come in and remove the hand and footprints." Raising a hand to his chin, he mused aloud, "Two…no, there would need to be three or more people to pull this off." He pulled up his leg and lowered his hand to rest on his knee. "Yusuke, could you look into some things for us? There may be evidence in the incinerator, the garbage disposal, or the drama club's room. You'll also need to speak with other sports club members in case they have heard anything."

"I'll help," Miwa chimed in, watching the tired frown form on Yusuke's face, "assuming Keiko can get me a spare uniform, too."

"Of course!"

Yusuke was still frowning a bit, clearly not looking forward to doing all that despite Miwa volunteering. Looking innocently at Kurama, he asked, "Why don't you come too? Might be faster."

Miwa snickered again, but the contemplative look on Kurama's face dropped in an instant. "Me?" he asked, his voice much higher than before. "To a girl's school? In uniform?"

"Of course not!" Miwa said, grinning devilishly. "Your hair is already long, so we just need one of those gym track suits for you to sneak in unnoticed!"

Kurama glared at her. Miwa ignored it, proud of her solution to avoid him wearing a skirt.

Keiko leaned to the side and whispered into Yusuke's ear, "I think I'm missing some context."

"Don't worry about it," he muttered.

Kurama cleared his throat to drown out Miwa's snickering and asked, "What are those two girls doing now?"

"Hirosawa skipped both school and club activities yesterday," Yusuke explained. "Sakurai somehow dragged herself to both."

"But," Keiko added, looking worried, "things won't be good for Sakurai if this continues. She's in the running to become captain of the basketball club soon."

"Is that so?" Kurama asked, and more pieces of the puzzle fell into place. "In that case, I know what we need to do. This should all be resolved by tomorrow night."

Miwa was still grinning, but this time in agreement rather than mockery. Based on the information Kurama asked for, she was putting the pieces together herself. "Tomorrow is Sunday. It'll be easier for us to get in."

{00}

In the end, Miwa was the only person other than Keiko who had to wear a uniform. As she said, it was a Sunday. With less teachers around and no dorm mother to fool, Yusuke and Kurama wearing a disguise wasn't as important, especially since the dormitory students already knew Yusuke had come to help. And their missions were outdoors, where they could easily hop the fence if outsiders came by. Yusuke talked to the other sports club members, as Kurama requested, and Keiko accompanied him. Kurama snuck behind the school to investigate the incinerator and garbage disposal areas. When Yusuke asked what he was going to look for, Kurama answered with a coy, "Evidence."

Miwa was the only one infiltrating the school building, so she needed to wear the uniform. Any time she passed by a mirror, she paused at her own reflection. The forest green blazer and brown pleated skirt was such a contrast from Meio's bright red colors, or Miwa's closet that rarely deviated from black, white, or blue. With this uniform, she felt a bit like a tree, but it didn't look bad either. Walking through the unfamiliar halls in an unfamiliar uniform made Miwa wonder what could have been different if somehow, Himari Shimizu went to a different school. Who she could have met, or what she could have done differently from Meio. Living in a dormitory would have certainly resolved some of her recent issues.

But that wasn't why she was here. She was searching for the drama club room.

Following Keiko's directions, Miwa walked through empty halls and turned corners, only slowing to double-take at reflective surfaces for less than a second at a time. Keiko initially gave her directions to the faculty room window first, with the intention to sneak in and "borrow" the drama club room key. Miwa told her that would not be necessary. If she could sneak through a window, she could sneak through a door no problem. She broke into the annex building directly.

She finally found the room with "Drama Club" printed on a sign at the top of the doorframe. It was one of the farthest club rooms from the classroom building, up on the second floor, perhaps to keep the noise they would make away from those who were trying to study. Miwa had joked about using her water platforms to just hop in from the window rather than walk through all those hallways. But both Keiko and Kurama vetoed that idea, joke or not, saying it would stand out too much in daylight. And looking out the window at the end of the hall, she understood why. Just from the angle, the track team would have a clear view of her sneaking in from outside.

Miwa kneeled, abandoning her thriller movie heist fantasy, and pointed a finger at the lock. A white ball of light glowed at her fingertip, and a small bead of water formed from its center. The water latched itself to her finger, and she pressed it into the keyhole. For a couple minutes, she wiggled her finger and shaped the liquid as necessary to turn the lock. Eventually, she found the right shape, turned the lock, and Miwa slid the door wide open. Inside, most of the floor was cleared off for rehearsal space, but stacks of boxes and makeshift props were leaning messily against the walls. There were some smaller props - fake rocks and fold-up chairs mostly - on the floor space that was left behind from a recent practice, but that wasn't what Miwa was looking for. She closed the door silently, crept towards a big wardrobe in the back, and pulled it open. Costumes of various styles, colors, and sizes were held up by plastic hangers, and a messy pile of shoes lay below them. Miwa kneeled once more to inspect the shoes, but they were all ordinary pairs, for ordinary human feet. The girls said the footprint looked like it came from a giant rat with four toes and long, pointed claws.

Next, Miwa's eyes trailed over to one of the boxes next to the wardrobe. A patch of thick, black fur poked through the flaps, and judging from the light layer of dust on the surrounding boxes, this one had recently been moved to the top of the stack. She stood up and yanked the flaps apart. Inside was a sloppily folded animal costume, maybe for a bear if matched with the proper mask, and it rested on top of thick, furry globes and large rubber boots. Curious, Miwa lifted the box off its stack and set it on the ground, taking out the folded costume and gloves to get a closer look. The boots were heavy and large, but the rubber sole was very detailed. A long, skinny foot, four toes, and plastic claws curled like a crescent moon. Not part of a bear costume. This was the costume foot of a monster. The exact kind of monster that may like to sneak into the dormitories of unsuspecting high school athletes.

Grinning, Miwa pulled out a small notebook, tore out a page, pressed it on the boot's sole, and rubbed the side of a pencil over it to make a messy imprint. She didn't want to carry the whole boot back with her, and she even checked a couple more recently-moved boxes to be certain. But she was confident she found the culprit the first time. After carefully folding her paper imprints, Miwa set the items back as she found them, left the room, and used her water key to lock the door again. She sped down the hallway, impatiently jumping out of the nearest window when she got back down to the first floor. Without coming across any security guard or teacher, she found Yusuke, Keiko, and Kurama at their rendezvous spot outside the school gate.

Yusuke, watching her approach, called her over with a wave. "Hey, did you find anything?"

Miwa pulled her carefully folded imprints from her pocket and handed them to him. "Lots of costumes up there. Any one of those feet could have been used to scare those girls."

Keiko and Kurama leaned over to look at the sheets. "Ah," Keiko said, pointing at the first imprint Miwa made. "This one looks like what they described."

"That's what I thought, too."

"If a tool exists," said Kurama, reaching into his jacket pocket, "then I may have found the method."

He pulled out a charred sheet of clear plastic. Miwa recognized it from their use in school light projectors for a class to watch the teacher's writing in real time. The smell of burnt plastic and paint lingered around it, despite the burns being at least a day old, and only half of the sheet's original length remained. But the markings stamped on it survived the school incinerator's fire. What remained was the front half of a bright red, clawed footprint with four toes.

Miwa sniffed. "I'm surprised your nose survived digging around out there."

"Please don't remind me of that."

Yusuke puffed out his chest. "If you got the tool and method, then I've got the motive. Listen to this."

He and Keiko summarized what they learned from the volleyball club members. Horrible rumors about Hirosawa spread to the other teams. That the rest of the basketball club didn't like her. Even though she was in this school on a sports scholarship, she somehow got in her head that there were things she would never be good at, so she never took practice seriously enough to improve herself. As a result, all the first years would get in trouble. And when they all got in trouble because of one person, their anger zeroed in. One girl from the volleyball team overheard a conversation between girls who lived in the room next to Hirosawa and Sakurai. They were complaining to each other, wishing Hirosawa would just quit the team, and brainstorming ways to either make her quit or get kicked out.

When they finished summarizing, Keiko frowned. "I can't believe that they would resort to scare tactics like this."

"Lemme guess," Yusuke said, pointing at the burned sheet of plastic in Kurama's hand. "They decided to use those sheets to make creepy, disappearing footprints."

Kurama nodded. "It would take at least three accomplices to stick these all over the room and remove them in less than five minutes."

Keiko's frown deepened. "But that doesn't explain how the original footprints appeared in a locked room."

"I told you I could pick a lock like that in no time flat."

"Not everyone is a delinquent like you, Yusuke."

Miwa waved her hand to stop them. "He's right, Keiko." She once again formed the water key around her finger. "I may be a demon, but the locks here aren't anything special."

Keiko was about to protest, but then she gave up.

"I don't think any locks needed to be picked," Kurama said, staring thoughtfully at the plastic sheet in his hand. "Not if all the first years were in agreement about Hirosawa."

Yusuke smirked, knowing that was the look of his friend solving the mystery. "So, what should we do?"

"We must make the true culprits confess." Kurama put the sheet back in his pocket and looked over to Miwa. "I think you are well suited for this."

A mischievous excitement bloomed, and Miwa rubbed her hands together excitedly. "This'll be fun."

{00}

That night, Naoko Sakurai lay alone on the bottom bunk in her dorm room. It was well after lights out, and her room was dark, but she lay on top of her blanket with her hands behind her head and one leg crossed over the other. A very calm posture for someone who just a few days ago hid away in a friend's dormitory out of fear. It was quiet without her roommate, and the alarm clock silently ticked away the minutes as it approached the midnight hour. Hirosawa was in trouble for missing the roll call for two nights in a row, but Sakurai wasn't worried. In fact, her foot rhythmically bobbed up and down.

Hidemi still hasn't come back, she thought to herself. Just like we planned. It's only a matter of time until-

A loud thump on the door made her bolt up in bed. "Who is that?" she called, forcing down the shock. "Hidemi?"

Another loud thump, but this time, the doorknob shook violently. It twisted and rattled against the lock. The force shook the entire door on its hinges, like someone was desperately trying to get inside.

Sakurai trembled, panic seizing every muscle. "Who is that!?"

The shaking and rattling stopped. Sakurai leaned closer, turning her ear to the door, but then a strange refraction of light made her recoil. A white ball of light glowed at the center of the door, somehow hovering in the air. No, it wasn't hovering. Tilting her head, Sakurai could see the light protruding from the wood. The ball swiveled from side to side, looking so much like a head searching that Sakurai shivered. The ball stopped, staring right at her, and she shrieked, slamming her back against the wall. Two more balls of light appeared at the head's side, stretching out in the undeniable shape of arms. Long, creepy arms, and Sakurai realized this thing wasn't light at all. It was a gelatinous blob glowing white from within. Its hands, taking shape with five skinny fingers, pushed its body through the door, and once its torso was inside, the hands dropped to the ground to hold it up. The palms made a wet plopping sound as they hit the wooden floor. The head remained immobile, staring intently at Sakurai with an eyeless face.

What in the world was this creature? What did it want? Her legs refused to move, and heaving sobs were the only noises her voice could produce as she cowered against the wall. It was looking right at her.

The creature raised one hand, leaving a wet handprint on the floor, and crawled closer.

Her legs moved of their own volition, kicking aimlessly to press herself closer to the wall. Its torso stretched from the door, as if the hips couldn't go through, but that didn't slow it down at all. A trail of wet handprints was left in its crawling wake, eerily similar to what she and Hirosawa had seen a couple days ago. Eventually, the head and shoulders reached her bed. Sakurai could barely see the tip of its head from the edge of her mattress. She wanted to stand, but the strength left her legs completely. Even if she were able to run, would that door open with the creature's torso still protruding from it? All she could do was whimper like a child as she waited for those wet hands to climb up to her bed.

But instead of hands, the creature's head shot straight up. Sakurai shrieked. The shoulders were not visible at all. Just a head and a stretched-out neck. Behind it, more handprints slapped across the floor and walls, even the wall she was leaning against. She could feel the impact shuddering against her back.

The creature tilted its head. Too terrified to move, Sakurai just stared helplessly.

"ThERe yOu arE…"

Her paralysis broke, and the entire floor was awoken by Naoko Sakurai's terrified scream.

{00}

Amidst the commotion of surprised, sleepy students, Miwa slipped out of an unlocked window and shut it quietly behind her. Confused voices and pounding footsteps carried through the glass and bounced across the empty courtyard. A commotion like that would keep the dorm mother distracted, and Miwa leaped into the nearest tree to scale the tall, concrete fence. She stood up, and the coast was clear. There were no security cameras in this area; she had already scoped that out. In and out as discreetly as a ghost. No one would ever find out she was there, and no one in authority would believe Naoko Sakurai had seen a monster in her room. Miwa walked away, hands casually stuffed in her jacket pockets, wondering how close to the boundary of "mischief" towards humans she had just gone. No one was hurt. And in a way, she stopped one human from tormenting another. From a certain perspective, she was enacting revenge like a human would. The methodology was just a little different.

"The extra handprints on the walls were a little much, don't you think?"

Kurama waited for her around the corner. The plan was for Miwa to come alone, but she wasn't surprised. He matched pace with her, and together they walked away from the campus.

"Even humans are familiar with 'an eye for an eye.'" she retorted. "Besides, don't they have a superstition about something appearing when you tell too many ghost stories?"

"You're forgetting the extinguished candles."

Miwa rolled her eyes. "A demon showing themselves to humans isn't against Enki's rules. I should be in the clear."

"As long as Negura doesn't find out."

She frowned, unable to deny that. "Did you just come to watch?"

"Yusuke wanted to come too, but Keiko forced him to stay home. She doesn't trust him sneaking around a girl's dormitory at night."

"That may have been for the best…"

"But they will visit the dormitory again after school tomorrow. They'll properly confront Sakurai about what she and her friends have done."

"I hope they'll be able to smooth things over." Miwa sighed and stared up into the night sky. The cold air seeped through her jacket and cooled her skin. Although she generally didn't like the cold, it did feel nice after her covert theatrics. "I'm just glad that it wasn't actually a demon."

"Why is that?"

"...The whole point of my job is to help smooth over relations. I know there will be troublemakers, but it won't take much for one demon to destroy everything Enki is envisioning."

"Your job is also to protect that vision. Genkai's as well. Yusuke and I will help too, whenever you need us."

Miwa smiled.

They stopped at a crosswalk. Although there were no cars around this time of night, they still waited patiently for the signal to change. Luckily, some restaurants were still open, so it would not be suspicious if someone saw two teenagers wandering around. They could have easily been on their way home from a casual late-night hangout.

"By the way," Miwa said, "Negura called me before I left. I'm moving into my new place in a month."

"Did she tell you where?"

"Close enough to school, luckily, but maybe a fifteen-minute walk from the station's north gate."

It remained unspoken that this would put her farther away from where Kurama lived.

"That must be exciting."

"It will be once reality sets in for Takeo. He's still clearly reluctant, but he agreed to let me go. He's going back to his hometown a couple months after I leave, once he's cleaned things up at work."

"He'll be able to see you get settled before he leaves. I'm sure that will alleviate his fears."

"I hope so."

The light changed, and the two of them crossed the street in silence. Miwa recognized this feeling. She had become all too familiar with it in recent years. The heaviness of incoming, unavoidable change. Even if they were still going to the same school, still within walking distance of each other's homes, her everyday life was about to change dramatically. Preparations for the next step towards her After was about to begin.

"...Miwa," Kurama said, slowing his pace to a stop. "Do you think you could keep the weekend after you move in free?"

Miwa, who also stopped, raised a curious eyebrow. "Sure. Is something going on?"

He smiled at her, and her cheeks burned involuntarily. "You've been working really hard lately," he explained, "so there is a place I would like to take you."

The burn grew more intense. Her false heartbeat raced in response to her nerves. Somewhere in her mind, she had been expecting this someday. "...You and me?" she asked, barely keeping her voice from squeaking.

He nodded, graciously ignoring her obvious tension. "If you don't mind."

Miwa forced her breathing to slow down. He framed it as if this were a reward, but they both knew what it really was. She swallowed hard, aware that they danced around this unresolved issue for quite some time. He had been patient, and despite the many things going on in her life, Miwa had not forgotten it for a single day. A very important decision that, depending on her choice, could change everything between them.

"To be clear," he said, seeing right through her hesitation, "I'm not expecting an answer from you or anything. I just think this is something you will enjoy."

He may have had no expectations, and she believed that was true, but this was undeniably an opportunity. For him, and for her, to learn something new about what they could become.

Miwa inhaled slowly. "Okay. I'll go."

---

Notes: This is the first chapter of what I'm referring to as the "After" arc. My goal this time was to introduce different aspects that will be different for her from here on out. I don't think the whole arc will be as long as the Demon World arc, but there are still smaller events from the manga, like the girl school case, that I want to incorporate into this story. But it will all feed into Miwa's After and how she feels about Kurama. I'm really looking forward to it!

Negura's name is taken from "roost" or "resting place." Rakuen's name uses the characters for "entwining" and "princess," alluding to the jorougumo folklore.