Chapter Seven: An Ordinary Life, with Stories

 

 

 

Chapter Seven: An Ordinary Life, with Stories

 

AKARI awoke to find herself in a city hospital that was under the influence of the Narrators’ Association. Before long, Munakata showed up to fill her in on what had happened.

The fire at the Sumimata Corporation warehouse was safely extinguished in the early morning.

Luckily, or perhaps unluckily, the only damage had been to the warehouse itself. The cause of the fire—the Raiju—had been safely captured. The large-scale operation conducted by the Narrators and their Kotogami had been reported widely in the newspapers, and as a result, public favor for them rapidly returned.

The Narrators’ Association was currently investigating both the Raiju and the illegal “Pseudogatari” books, their suspicions turned on not just Sumimata, but several other companies as well. In fact, the Association had already been planning to strike Sumimata and begin making arrests based on Akari’s hunch. But then the fire happened first.

“You could see the fire from all over the city. We weren’t able to keep it from taking hold. But it turned out well—we manipulated the media to our advantage.”

Munakata seemed exhausted, slumped in the hospital room chair in a slovenly manner. He looked clean and shaven, but his uniform was rumpled and the inner shirt had one or two buttons left undone. He was pale in the face, too.

Akari paused in cutting up one of the peaches he’d brought her. Taking pity on him, she offered him a slice.

Munakata sat up in his chair.

“You’re willingly sharing food? Is the sky falling?”

“Oh, so you don’t want it, then?”

“Hand it over.”

Munakata grabbed the peach slice from Akari’s hand and tossed it into his mouth.

“It’s sweet. Worth the high price, I’d say.”

“It’s the best season for them right now.”

Akari quickly polished off the rest of the peach. They were sweet as nectar this time of year. The juice flowed over her tongue and fulfilled her in ways the bland hospital food had not.

Immediately, she started cutting up the next one. Then she paused, feeling Munakata’s intense eyes on her.

“You must be feeling better if you’re able to inhale peaches one after another like that.”

“Yep. But yesterday when I awoke, I could barely even sit up.”

“You manifested two Kotogami at once. Even seasoned Narrators never try to do that. And what were you thinking, entering into two contracts and re-narrating both Kotogami, one right after the other? Are you insane? I’m surprised you survived, to be honest.”

When Akari had passed out in the flaming warehouse, it had been because of an overload of spiritual power consumption.

Munakata scoffed at her, and Akari sulkily stabbed a toothpick into another peach slice.

“I didn’t realize I was taking on such a big responsibility at the time.”

“Yes, that was partially my fault. I kept certain information from you since you were just a civvy.”

He shrugged, and Akari sighed. It was hard to stay mad at him when he apologized. And Akari herself had never bothered trying to find out more about how Kotogami worked. Anyway, she wasn’t really upset about it. She could let this one slide.

She sensed him shift in the chair and turned to look at him. But he just steepled his fingers together and leaned forward thoughtfully.

“I should let you know that Sumimata Corporation is currently under investigation by the police for corporate malpractice. They, too, seem to have realized that the company has been using their musical clock product to call forth various spirits and incite them to violence. I’m certain they’ll link the company to the recent yokai disturbances. What happens then will probably depend on public opinion, but my guess is that heads will roll, at least on the managerial level.”

“So you’re not going to make the stuff about the Pseudogatari public?”

“The existence of those is a sensitive issue. We don’t want the book-burning radicals to get inflamed over this. They were in bed with your corporation all along, you know, trying to get the Narrators and Kotogami terminated. Where this case is concerned, the Narrators’ Association has adopted a policy of discretion.”

Munakata paused for a second.

“What I’m telling you is that Sumimata is going to collapse as a company. Is that all right with you?”

“Well, it’s what they deserve. The Raiju and other yokai disturbances…people could have been killed. They need to pay for what they’ve done.”

Akari felt bad for the other innocent employees who were about to find themselves out of a job, but she couldn’t blame the Association’s handling of the situation for that.

“It was idiotic of them to try to take down the Narrators and the Kotogami while using their own fake Kotogatari. They never really thought it through, did they? Fools.”

“You’re darn right. Messing with things they’re too stupid to understand. I don’t even want to know what they thought their justification was. I just want to see that whole twisted organization torn up by the roots.”

Akari blinked at Munakata, who had balled his hands into fists and was growling in a low voice. The fire in his gaze was so different from his usual tepid demeanor.

He really is dedicated to the Association after all, Akari thought. He gave her a questioning look.

“What?”

“Nothing. It’s just unexpected to see you taking something so seriously.”

“Don’t be fooled. My favorite thing to do is nothing. I hate it when I get a call to attend to a yokai case.”

Sighing, Munakata leaned back in his chair, his expression once again showing only boredom. With that cool-guy act of his, Akari figured he had a lot of younger military members who hung on to his every word.

“But you know, I’m not an Association member. Should you really be telling me, an outsider, all this?”

Akari gave him a sly grin, and his shoulders drooped as he rolled his eyes to the ceiling.

“I’d hardly call you an outsider. In fact, you’ve become something of a person of interest for our organization. I’ve been able to hide the existence of the demon Tomohito, but I can’t cover up the emergence of that Western beast. Tomohito complied with our cover story, but that beast is an unknown entity. And now he is under your control. The Association is currently investigating him, and you too.”

“So that’s why you’re here chatting with me, hmm?”

“Precisely. I was assigned as your inspector, you see.”

“I think they picked the wrong person for the job.”

Munakata just shrugged, not bothering to deny it.

“Miss Mitsukuri, may I remind you that you pulled off feats no ordinary Narrator ever could. You manifested a powerful demon with the power of your words, and you performed a re-narration of a warped Kotogami using your own words to restore it to a complete form. These accomplishments are unprecedented. And you did all this without any training whatsoever.”

“I just strung some words together. It was no big deal…”

“But that’s the issue. You didn’t even have to try.”

Munakata gave a deep sigh. He sulkily plopped his head into his hands.

“…I just can’t believe Neo-sensei hid such talent from me all this time! Darn it, why didn’t he tell me?”

Akari looked up sharply at that name.

Neo…the Narrator who had cared for Akari ever since that day twelve years ago.

“You know Mr. Neo?”

“Know him? He’s been my Spirit Master for the past ten years. When you came to the city, he ordered me to look out for you.”

What the heck? Those two are connected now? But Munakata was continuing to pout, as if this conversation was inconsequential and boring. But Akari got the feeling there was more to their connection than she knew.

“What happened to Tomohito and…everyone else?”

Akari still couldn’t believe that Munakata and Neo knew each other, but she wanted to know this more than anything else. Munakata nodded.

“Tomohito is back at the Bookhouse under house arrest. The…Gremlum, was it? We performed a basic sealing procedure on him, just until his spirit powers recharge. But he’s your Kotogami as well now, not ours.”

“Yes, about that. It hasn’t really sunk in… So I’ve become like his mistress?”

“You’ve become that for both of them. Your blood…and I think tears? …Anyway, your essence became part of the very bindings of their Kotogatari. You’ll be able to rely on them and issue orders to them for the rest of your days. They will answer to no other Narrator but you.”

Akari recalled her tears now, dripping onto Tomohito’s Kotogatari back in that flaming warehouse. And she remembered holding the Raiju’s Pseudogatari in her injured, bleeding hand. When she’d narrated anew for them both, her blood and tears had then formed a powerful, binding spirit contract.

“The Pseudogatari was a fake, of course, just a simplified account of the spirit’s past, but enough to bind its soul within. The Gremnim… The Gremlump…”

“It’s Gremlin. You’re not very good at reading the Roman alphabet, are you?”

“Oh, be quiet. Let me finish.”

Munakata scowled at her for a moment before continuing.

“That creature’s past and its characteristics were close enough to a Raiju’s that they were able to manifest it as a Kotogami, albeit in an incomplete form. We have it in custody at the Association right now, but…what do you want to happen?”

“What do you mean?”

Akari had no idea what he was asking her in that offhand manner of his.

So Munakata spelled it out for her.

“You are that Gremlin’s Narrator. Whether officially recorded or not. And if you choose not to live as a Narrator and leave the Bookhouse, that fact won’t change. A Narrator can never escape from their Kotogami. So this is your last chance. If you ask it, we can seal away both demons forever, and you will be free. The choice is up to you.”

“You’re giving me an out? You’re not using this as a chance to strong-arm me into becoming a Narrator? I’m astonished.”

Yes, that possibility had occurred to her. But Munakata had a look on his face that was a mix of reluctance and acceptance.

“Well, I can’t deny that we used you when it came to Sumimata Corp. But we won’t force you. You can live a normal life and enjoy reading books just for fun. We’ll take care of the demons and everything else. It’s your choice.”

Perhaps this was his way of atoning for getting her involved in all this. Munakata was going to take responsibility after all.

He yawned hugely then, and Akari had the feeling he was never going to be completely reliable. But she also decided not to care.

“Let me ask one more thing first.”

“Fire away.”

“What happened to Mitsuko?”

Akari hadn’t seen her since the fire. Munakata raised one eyebrow, as if he hadn’t expected Akari to care. He blinked several times before answering her in a matter-of-fact tone.

“Mitsuko Maruyama is currently in our custody as a vital witness. Interrogations have already begun, and so far she has proved most cooperative.”

“What’s going to happen to her after that?”

“Nothing. The warehouse incident has been officially ruled an accident, and the truth has been covered up. She will be neither accused nor prosecuted. But she has an unusual power to her voice, and we intend to investigate it going forward.”

“I see.”

Munakata raised his brow again, seemingly picking up on the harsh edge to Akari’s response.

“She will be kept under close observation. Potentially for the rest of her natural life. Perhaps that will be punishment enough.”

“To be honest…she deserves what she gets.”

Mitsuko was pathetic, but she’d still been prepared to murder Akari in cold blood. Akari wasn’t a noble enough person to ever forgive her for that.

She smiled sardonically, and Munakata seemed, for a moment, disturbed. Then he shook his head, chuckling.

“You’re a dangerous one, aren’t you?”

“Speak for yourself.”

“But you know…for a girl with all the fight knocked out of her, Miss Maruyama was surprisingly insistent about one thing.”

Munakata snorted, and Akari frowned.

“What do you mean?”

“Between interrogation sessions, she had her nose constantly buried in a book. Once she finished one, she’d immediately demand another. We have no shortage of books at the Association, so that wasn’t an issue…but why the sudden interest in reading, I wonder?”

“…No real reason, I’m sure.”

Akari covered her mouth with her hand, silent for a while. Munakata gave her a questioning look, but she simply shook her head. Removing her hand, she forced herself to keep fighting back a smile.

Mitsuko had betrayed her horribly, and she would never, ever forgive her for that. Given five minutes alone in a room with her, she’d have some choice insults to throw at the other woman. But Akari couldn’t help feeling glad that her words had gotten through to Mitsuko in the end after all.

Shrugging off Akari’s reaction, Munakata got to his feet. It seemed their conversation had reached its end.

“You’ll be discharged tomorrow. You can give me your answer later, after you’ve returned to the Bookhouse, if you like. You should probably give it a great deal of thought before deciding.”

Akari couldn’t believe he was actually giving her ample time to think it through. She called him back as he was about to open the door.

“Munakata… I mean, Mr. Munakata. I’ve already decided.”

Munakata was looking over his shoulder at her, his mouth slightly open.

She was still filled with concerns about the path ahead, but it all seemed worth it in that moment, just to enjoy the expression on Munakata’s face.

∗∗∗

THE following day, Akari gathered up her belongings to leave the hospital. When she slid the door to her room open, she found something big sitting outside, blocking the way. It was Tomohito.

His hair was not gold, but its usual black color, and shoulder length again. He looked odd sitting there on the floor hugging his knees, dressed in his fine Western-style three-piece suit. It was a miracle he hadn’t been chased out by any of the nurses.

He got to his feet in a hurry as Akari looked down at him. Scanning her face, he cleared his throat nervously.

“Um, Munakata told me to come and pick you up.”

Ah yes. Munakata had said someone would be coming to escort her home. He just never said who. Akari smiled wryly. But Tomohito seemed different, on edge, as if unsure how to act around her. She could understand that.

“So where is our friend Munakata?”

“He said he’d done enough hard work for this year that we should handle the rest ourselves.”

“Hmph, typical Munakata. Here, take my bag.”

Akari handed her belongings to Tomohito and set off down the hallway.

She hurried out of the hospital, Tomohito trailing behind her with the bags. Once they were outside and headed to the streetcar station, he called out to her as if he couldn’t bear the silence any longer.

“Mistress! What’s going to happen now?”

“First off, we’re going back to the Bookhouse. We’ll take the tram. Or perhaps it would be nicer to walk? Oh, I hope Mayoi and Kansuke are doing all right.”

“Mayoi’s just happy you’re getting discharged from the hospital. Wait, we’re going back to the Bookhouse?!”

Akari looked back at him. Why was that so shocking?

“Yes, I always intended to return. What did you expect?”

“I thought you’d take Munakata up on his offer. Honestly, I’m surprised I haven’t already been sealed away. Munakata hasn’t even said anything.”

They’d known each other only two months, but still, she’d never seen Tomohito look so utterly lost. It was kind of a new look for him. Akari was enjoying it a lot.

They hadn’t come face-to-face since the warehouse fire, and honestly, Akari hadn’t been sure how she was going to handle him. But his reaction was making it much easier.

“Hey, I wanted to ask you. When my dorm was burning…what were you doing there? The timing seems pretty suspicious to me.”

As they hurried along the road together, Tomohito started to look extremely guilty.

Akari narrowed her eyes at him. What was he hiding? Reluctantly, though, Tomohito confessed.

“I heard from Neo that you’d gotten a job in the city. I simply couldn’t stay away… I was just checking up on you, as usual, when we bumped into one another.”

“As usual? So you came to ‘check up on me’ more than once? No, get up! Don’t kneel on the ground in that nice suit, you dimwit!”

Akari had been thinking about Tomohito’s confession and hadn’t noticed him sinking down to his knees to grovel for her forgiveness. She grabbed his arm and yanked him back up. His face was contorted with guilt.

“Well, I knew you’d be angry if you knew the truth, Mistress Akari!”

“So in other words, you’ve been stalking me all over the city, hmm? Or did it start before I even moved here?”

“It started in the city! I swear it!”

Even so, what a creepy thing to do! Akari narrowed her eyes again. But he just looked back at her, his cheeks flushed with emotion, his own eyes wide.

“I never intended to make myself known to you! I just wanted to watch over you until I disappeared. But I couldn’t fight against my own desires…”

…Because after all, I’m a demon. Tomohito lowered his lashes.

His expression indicated that he felt a strong sense of conflict over his true identity as a demon.

“What’s your connection with Neo? And how have you been able to keep on manifesting for all these years? What really happened that day in the village?”

She finally asked him the questions she’d been unable to bring up back at the warehouse. Now all her suspicions were bursting forth.

“At the time…you and Neo were trying to protect the village, weren’t you? But in that case, why did Neo ask me to read out of your Kotogatari?”

Akari was casting her mind back over her fragmentary memories of that day.

Tomohito blinked back down at her as she looked into his face, her heart pounding faster than she’d expected it to.

“Yes. Let’s talk about what happened twelve years ago. Neo came to your village to retrieve a demon that was residing in a kubizuka. In other words…me. Because there were other men, bad men, who were going to come and try to take me too.”

“So, that other demon was theirs…?”

Tomohito nodded.

“I knew I couldn’t let those bad men take me. So I chose to become a Kotogami instead, enshrined by your narration. The men were angry. They had arrived too late. So they tried to destroy me, and the village as well. It took everything I had to bring down their demon, their Aratama.”

Neo had never told her that. But as Akari listened, it all made sense.

“But why did it have to be me who narrated you and made you a Kotogami? Neo was an official Narrator, wasn’t he? Surely he would have done a better job.”

Tomohito blushed, a look of intense guilt flooding his features.

“I wanted my first time to be with you, with your words.”

He gazed into her eyes, his speech impassioned. He was so beautiful, so dazzling right then. Akari felt her cheeks growing hot.

“Truthfully, Neo never expected the narration of a little girl to actually manifest a demon like me. He simply indulged my wish. He was going to take over afterward. I insisted I wanted you to be the first to read me, though. But your narration gave me form. I don’t think you could ever understand how much joy that brought me…”

How could I? Akari thought. But Tomohito looked so happy. She found she couldn’t speak. A moment later, though, Tomohito’s face fell again.

“But in the end, I wasn’t able to save you.”

He brought a hand to his chest, his features twisting with regret.

“I know it was wrong of me, to terrify a child in that way. But I didn’t understand why it was wrong at the time. The regret…it hurt me, like a sword to the chest. I didn’t know why. So I made a deal with Neo. I came to the Bookhouse, to learn about humans.”

“What kind of deal did you make?”

“He agreed to let me stay and be around humans until my manifestation power eventually ran out.”

So that was why Tomohito had passed the last twelve years at the Bookhouse as a Kotogami. Even though he was so very different in form from the “Mr. Demon” of Akari’s childhood…he was also somehow the same.

“Hey…the day of the fire at my dorm, why didn’t you just tell me you were the demon from my childhood? Why didn’t you try to make me a Narrator so that we could be together?”

Then he wouldn’t have had to disappear. He could have stayed with Akari always.

But Tomohito shook his head.

“I only ever wanted you to be a good reader. You had such incredible aptitude… I wanted to restore your love of stories. Not as a Narrator, but as a person who accepts us unruly word spirits and makes a place for us in her heart.”

A good reader. She looked at him, confused. There was such tenderness for her in his expression. She didn’t really understand what he meant, but the passion in his words and his eyes stirred something in her heart.

“I don’t get it.”

“Demons can be touched by the influence of humans as well as Kotogami can, you know. As a demon, I committed countless atrocities, and the result was that I lost my head. Instead of repenting, I continued to seek vengeance. I was every bit the evil demon of the folktales. But then you gave me a new form. Your words showed me a side of myself I never knew existed. Who wouldn’t want to hold on to that for as long as was possible?”

Yes…he had kept himself alive for twelve years to honor what Akari had seen in him.

“But I didn’t remember you.”

“That made no difference to how I felt.”

Still gazing earnestly into her eyes, Tomohito chuckled.

“That’s why I made Neo promise not to try to make you into a Narrator if you didn’t wish it. It was Neo’s power that made you forget. I was worried it would break your heart to go on living with those memories. Even this old demon has a conscience.”

Tomohito smiled bitterly, and Akari nodded.

She’d heard a little about it all from Munakata. Neo had been like a guardian to her after the incident, and when she moved to the capital, he had told his apprentice, Munakata, to look out for her. And he’d warned Munakata not to try to push her into their vocation if she didn’t seem interested.

It seemed the root of this arrangement had been that promise made between Neo and Tomohito.

It had been Tomohito’s attempt to protect Akari, out of concern for her well-being.

“If the Narrators heard about you, a young girl who could manifest a demon like me with her narration, they’d try to make use of you. A demon’s Kotogatari ought to be destroyed. But when I met you again outside your burning dorm building, I was reaching the end of my manifestation. I thought it was the right time. My last chance to prove useful to you.”

“You were worried the Narrators would try to take me?”

“I’m a demon. I understand the darker side of human nature…more than you know.”

For all his gentle demeanor, this young man was truly a demon at heart.

Yesterday she’d heard a lot about demons from Munakata. The oldest of them had the longest list of misdeeds. The more notoriety they had in human circles, the more folklores they appeared in, and the stronger they would be as Kotogami.

The old demons, the ones who ranked among the fox spirits, the Tengu, and the dragons…they made for very dangerous Kotogami when enshrined in books. So dangerous, in fact, that the books themselves were condemned. Those Kotogami were enshrined for protective reasons, to be kept safely sleeping in their books for eternity. For even the most skilled of Narrators could accidentally break the sealing spell by a mistake in their narration.

In other words, they were deadly and volatile Kotogami indeed.

For someone to emerge with the power to control such a Kotogami demon…well, the Narrators’ Association would be desperate to get their hands on such a person and make them into a Narrator.

“So I am bewildered, to say the least. To be allowed to continue to exist in this way…”

Tomohito was looking at Akari with eyes full of expectation and anxiety.

“But you told Munakata you didn’t want me to disappear, didn’t you? And given the choice, of course, I would desire to stay with you too. But my existence…the risks…”

“Ah yes, about that. Well, I’ve decided to officially become a Narrator, so no worries.”

Tomohito’s mouth fell open, his cheeks colored with emotion.

That expression really doesn’t do his good looks many favors, Akari thought absently.

“Huh?”

“We’re going to keep your demon identity secret, but yep, you’ll be my official Kotogami familiar. And once I pass the Narrator qualifications, the Bookhouse will be my new office. Life’s going to get pretty busy from now on…”

“Wait! Mistress, hold on just a moment, please! Are you sure this is what you want?!”

“Well, I can’t keep working at Sumimata Corp., can I?”

Not after what happened. Even with new management coming in, she didn’t want any part of that company any more.

So there was really nothing stopping her from becoming a Narrator. Usually, potential Narrators had to undergo heavy training from a young age. Akari would have her work cut out for her if she wanted to catch up. But she liked to study, and she was feeling motivated. As she began walking off again, Tomohito put his hand on her shoulder.

“Becoming a Narrator will mean that your entire life will revolve around stories, you know. And you’ll lose the chance to ever become an ordinary person again. That’s what it means to command a demon! I don’t want to be a burden to you like that!”

“So you want to quit as my Kotogami?”

“Never!”

Akari snorted with laughter at that. Then, as Tomohito’s face crumpled, she smiled at him.

“You’re right—I still have complicated feelings about stories and narrating in general. But I don’t want to lose hold of you. You were there for me when I was a child, back when my love for stories was true. So I’ll just have to push on through.”

Yes, it was Tomohito who had inspired her to give stories a chance again. Her old friend, the coolest, strongest demon there ever was. She wanted to show up for him, just as he’d been showing up for her for the past twelve years.

Maybe it was her turn to make him feel like he was someone special to her. And what was wrong with that?

Blushing a little, Akari patted him encouragingly on the arm.

“So listen, Tomohito. All I ask is that you continue to watch over me. And keep your demonly impulses in check, okay?”

This was what Akari had chosen. She knew what it meant to be with a demon. So even if one day Tomohito went wild and abandoned her…at least she was going into this prepared.

For now, though, she wanted to enjoy living with the full breadth of her memories available to her. As she smiled up at him, Tomohito took hold of her hand and pressed it lovingly against his cheek.

Akari held her breath, spellbound.

His gaze was so warm and sweet, like dripping honey. But at the same time, filled with a strange heat…

“If this is what you’ve chosen, then I will be your Kotogami, your demon, for always. I will be with you until you turn to dust, and at that moment I shall crumble too. For without your words, I cannot be, Akari.”

“Yikes, intense much?”

“There is no force on earth more tenacious than a demon, you know. You’d better make sure you’re ready for this.”

His sharp fangs were poking out from between his beautifully shaped lips. Akari felt a thrill run through her veins at the sight of them. There would be no going back. But her choice was hers to own.

Knowing that a clumsy response right now could be risky, she pulled her hand away from Tomohito’s cheek.

“You know, your way of speaking has changed since back then. You used to sound more…conceited.”

That was something she’d had on her mind ever since she’d found out about Tomohito’s true identity. He chuckled and blushed.

“Well, a Kotogami and their Narrator have a hierarchy to their relationship, do they not? When I was deciding how best to serve you, I thought that acting as a servant and treating you as my mistress would do the trick. So I simply adjusted my speaking style to be more…reverential.”

“I don’t really get it, but you do you, I guess.”

Akari gave a wry grin in response to his convoluted answer. Her memories of their time together were still fuzzy around the edges, but she’d remembered him being much more impressive and awe-inspiring, at least to her child’s mind. But she supposed this sort of power balance made more sense for a Kotogami and his Narrator.

But for some reason, Tomohito was pouting.

“You know, you used to talk down to me way back when too. You probably don’t remember, but you used to lecture me on human decorum. Telling me that losing my cool and rampaging like a demon was odious.”

Akari’s eyes widened as she noticed that even the tips of Tomohito’s ears were flushed. She couldn’t really remember how she used to talk to “Mr. Demon” as a child, but it seemed as though he remembered it like it was yesterday.

She closed her eyes for a moment. She’d lost her village and everything in it that day, or so she’d thought. But a major part of it remained and was here standing before her now.

She smiled to herself, feeling a warm swell of happiness inside. Then Tomohito rolled his shoulders.

“Well, your narration that day certainly had a big influence on me, but still, I’ve never forgotten my impressive demon roots. If you’d like, I can go back to speaking like a conceited demon, the way I used to?”

He narrowed his light-brown eyes at her and Akari felt her heart skip a beat. That was odd. They were just talking normally, so why was her pulse racing like this as she gazed into his eyes?

Did she want things to change? Not really. She’d gotten used to their dynamic, and going forward, it looked as though she would continue to be his “mistress” of sorts. So she simply shrugged.

“It’s fine. I’m used to your current way of speaking.”

“Then I shall continue. Now, let us return home, Mistress Akari.”

“Okay. I hope Mayoi’s not still mad at me…”

She was trying to change the subject, but she got the feeling he knew and was chuckling at her. She ignored it, though. She was too busy thinking about how nice the word home sounded.

∗∗∗

AS soon as she opened the door to the Shinkuju Bookhouse, Mayoi came flying into her arms.

The girl sobbed wordlessly as Akari stroked her glossy bobbed hair.

Then Akari explained everything that had happened and told her how truly sorry she was.

“I’m so sorry for worrying you. But…would it be all right with you if I made this place my permanent home?”

“You’re my mistress. If you are to be a Narrator, then my home is now yours too.”

Akari hugged the girl tight. Mayoi continued to sniffle and burble, refusing to let go.

Cradling the little spirit in her arms, Akari went to open Kansuke’s Kotogatari. He appeared immediately, with a wry I knew it look on his face.

“So you’ve decided to do the thing, have you, girly? I guess I can stick around and keep Tomohito in line for you, just in case.”

Then Kansuke placed his big hand fondly on top of Akari’s head.

She rolled her eyes. Did he always have to be so flippant? But she was secretly thrilled that he’d promised to stay by her side as well, offering his services to her so casually, as though there was never any doubt that he would.

Trying to hide how moved she was, Akari adopted a sarcastic tone of her own.

“As long as I keep you well paid in booze, right?”

“Throw in snacks, too, and you’ve got yourself a deal. But things aren’t going to be easy going forward, you know.”

Kansuke folded his arms and raised an eyebrow at Akari. Just then, Tomohito pushed his way in between them, his grin as wide as his face.

“That’s right, Mistress Akari! This is the start of Bookhouse Mitsukuri! Hehe, as your contracted Kotogami, I’ll assist you every step of the way! Because I’m your contracted Kotogami! For life!”

“No fair, I want to make a contract with her too!”

Mayoi tossed her black bobbed hair indignantly as Akari gave her an apologetic look.

“I’m sorry, Mayoi. I was told not to even attempt to forge any more contracts until I’ve had much, much more Narrator training.”

Mayoi gasped, her face stricken, as if the world were ending. Flooded with guilt, Akari rushed to comfort her, but Tomohito interrupted, still smiling.

“Indeed! So in all the world, I alone am contracted to Akari! Yes, I alone!”

Tomohito jutted out his jaw at Mayoi and crossed his eyes in an extremely childish and unbecoming manner.

Ever since Akari had revealed her intentions to become a Narrator, he’d been insufferable like this. She was rapidly reaching the end of her patience with him. Snapping her fingers, she barked imperiously.

“Tomohito! Bring my bags.”

“Yes, Mistress!”

He ran to get her bag. Akari snatched it from his hand and pulled a book out from within.

“What! That book…”

Tomohito wheezed wordlessly. It was the gray-colored book Akari had narrated from back in that flaming warehouse.

Oddly, there weren’t any bloodstains on it. There was a strange new design on the cover instead. Akari gently flipped through the pages, then raised her voice.

“The Gremlin Rai!”

Silver strands rose from the pages, manifesting before Akari a young man in his late twenties. His silver locks flowed down his back, and he was sharply dressed in a military-style uniform. Rai opened his deep-purple eyes and fixed them on Akari’s.

“Mistress. I am so glad to meet with you once more.”

“Sorry for not summoning you again until now.”

Rai nodded, his expression unchanging. But he was clearly happy. The perkiness of his furry beast ears and the jaunty swishing of his tail were proof of that.

“Let me introduce you. This is my contracted Kotogami Rai. He’s going to live with us from now on.”

“I forgot all about him! Ugh, why does he have to live here?!”

As Akari introduced Rai to Mayoi and Kansuke, Tomohito seemed to snap out of his stupor and started yelping indignantly.

“Because he’s my Kotogami as well. He won’t respond to anyone’s narration but mine, not anymore. Besides, someone needs to fill in the missing details in his Pseudogatari. He’s my responsibility from now on.”

Once Akari had made up her mind to become a Narrator, Munakata had agreed to release Rai to her care.

He had instructed her to narrate him regularly, since his manifestation was still unstable. That would keep him in existence until his backstory could be pieced together and he could be properly defined.

Akari had had no issue with that. Still, she felt sorry she couldn’t offer more freedom to Rai after all he’d suffered.

“I apologize, Rai, but it looks like you’ll need to hang around with us for a while.”

“Not at all, Mistress. Your words defined my existence. So I shall serve you faithfully. Please use me in any way you see fit.”

Akari blushed as Rai reached out and placed his hands warmly around hers, his purple eyes gazing deep into her soul…

Vibrating with anger, Tomohito clamped his hand down on Rai’s shoulder and yanked him away.

As Rai stumbled back, Tomohito leaned into his face, scowling.

“Stay out of Mistress Akari’s personal space!”

“I wasn’t aware I was in it.”

Akari was bright red as Tomohito hissed his displeasure, and Rai met his eye with a challenging look.

“Actually, you kind of were. And grabbing my hands like that did surprise me a bit, to be honest.”

“So I suppose a kiss is out of the question?”

“Curse you, you dirty beast!”

Tomohito howled indignantly as Rai simply grinned.

Rai had the brash straightforwardness of a Westerner, and Akari had the feeling he was going to be giving her a lot of trouble in an entirely different way than Tomohito. Thinking about the future, Akari sighed with trepidation. Then Kansuke spoke up, his tone amused.

“Girly, who’s this delightful fellow you’ve brought in?”

“If you like him so much, then lend me a hand, would you?”

“Nah, I’d rather not get involved. Mayoi, time to serve the booze!”

Kansuke shrugged with indifference and disappeared into the kitchen.

DemonSlayer, was he? No, he was useless. Akari gnashed her teeth, just as Tomohito piped up again.

“Since you made a contract with him, I suppose there is nothing to be done about it. Anyway, he’s no competition for me. He can stay. But I outrank him. Just so everyone’s clear on that. Are you clear on that, beast? Now, be a good dog and serve Mistress Akari with loyalty.”

“Who are you calling a dog, you dumb demon?”

“You, you mangy cur! Make sure you remember your place! You’re the lowest rung on the ladder and don’t you ever forget it!”

Akari gasped and reached out to poke Tomohito warningly in the chest, but Rai merely nodded and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

The smoke cleared, leaving a handsome silver-furred beast standing there. He was about twice the size of a wolf, with shiny, smooth fur and six strong legs. He looked big enough for Mayoi to ride on his back. Actually, he looked big enough for Akari to ride too.

“Rai? What happened to you?!”

“I am a Gremlin, but I also have elements of the Raiju folktale in me now. Thus, I can assume two forms. This one seems better for conducting lightning. The Raiju influence is why I can now speak your Eastern tongue as well.”

The beast wagged his fluffy tail, gazing up at Akari with his purple eyes.

“As long as this form pleases you, that is, Mistress.”

Pausing before answering, Akari ran her fingers through the beast’s plush fur. It was so soft. Akari was hardly an expert, but she knew fur this thick was unusual.

Also, she was relieved that the beast didn’t seem bothered by his current circumstances, or by Tomohito’s attempts at bullying.

“It would be nice if you could assume this form sometimes and join me for naps…”

“Certainly, Mistress.”

“Mistress Akariii?!”

Rai bowed his head politely. Akari hadn’t really meant to say that thing about the naps, but it just kind of slipped out.

As for Tomohito’s shrieks, well, she just ignored them.

Akari kept on stroking the silky fur. Rai half closed his eyes, as if in bliss. Then Mayoi came sidling up to stand beside Akari.

She looked Rai up and down, muttering under her breath. “Can’t the newbie do anything else?”

“You must be this house’s Silkie spirit. I have not seen one since I left Angland… As for what I can do…I can wield thunder and lightning, and I know much about machines. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, little Silkie.”

Mayoi’s face lit up. Clearly, she had been charmed. She, too, reached out to stroke the beast’s silver head.

“Good. There’s a lot of things that need fixing around here. It’s nice to meet you too.”

“Mayoi! You traitor!”

They all turned to see Tomohito looking aghast. He was actually in tears.

He looks like a puppy that’s been abandoned, Akari thought, just as Kansuke came back carrying aloft a bottle of sake.

“What are we crying about now, Tomohito?”

“…Shut up, Kansuke.”

“That’s not the right attitude, Tomohito. You know, the young girly’s the only one who’s ever bothered to give me a decent reading too. Don’t go thinking you can keep her all to yourself.”

“Yeah, Tomohito! Mistress belongs to me as well. I’ll keep this house for no one but her.”

Akari stared at them both. Kansuke and Mayoi, both pledging their loyalty to her…

But Tomohito remained defiant, jaw jutting angrily.

“Mistress Akari read me first, years and years before any of you!”

“You don’t have to get so upset.”

“Yes I do! I’ve finally gotten the chance to be with Mistress Akari for life! We have to start this thing off right! We have to make sure everyone knows who her number one is!”

“Oh, so you want to make it interesting? All right. Let’s see if you can beat me in a fight, demon.”

“Gladly!”

“I enjoy a good brawl. I’ll join in as well.”

In quick succession, Kansuke whipped out his sword, Tomohito ripped off his white gloves, and Rai transformed back into human form.

They were going to fight it out to see who came out on top? Seriously?

Akari sighed and threw up her hands. But just then, the floor began to quake violently beneath everyone’s feet.

Correction—under everyone’s feet but Akari’s and Mayoi’s. Mayoi was standing with her hands on her hips, scowling.

“No bothering the Mistress! And no fighting in MY house!”

“Wow, Mayoi!”

None of the three had fallen, but they were all holding on to furniture and looking flustered. And impressed.

“I guess we can’t…”

“…Go against what Mayoi says.”

“Hmm, but—”

“DOES ANYONE HAVE ANYTHING ELSE TO SAY?!”

“Not a word.”

“No, Mayoi…”

“Not me, little Silkie.”

The trio mumbled in unison as Mayoi gave them the stink eye. It was so funny, seeing them all groveling before such a tiny child. Akari burst out laughing.

An ancient house spirit in the form of a little girl. A samurai warrior from the history books. A Western spirit merged with elements of Eastern folklore. And the strongest demon any folktale had ever told of. What a strange assortment of characters. How odd that Akari should belong to a group like this!

But this was her life from now on. This house…and these spirits.

Tomohito had tried to make amends for his part in her tragic past. But his efforts were misguided. After all, the happiness she’d lost in childhood could never be replaced.

But he’d brought her here, to this house…to this new life.

He was so kind, so strange, and yes, sometimes he was frightening…but in Akari’s eyes, he was still the coolest demon around.

Not that she’d ever tell him that. She could only imagine how such compliments would go to his head.

She kept on giggling, feeling her chest swell with emotions. Wide-eyed, the four of them stared at her.

That’s strange. Akari frowned.

“What’s wrong?”

“You’re not half so plain as I thought, girly!”

“Your smile is beautiful, Mistress.”

“You look so pretty, Mistress!”

Kansuke seemed taken aback. Rai gave her a wolflike smile. And Mayoi clasped her hands together, beaming.

“Your smile is all I need in this world, Mistress Akari.”

Tomohito was grinning too, his face shining with joy.

Akari blushed. What a fuss to make over a smile. She glossed over the compliments.

“So has everyone finished bickering? I, for one, am starving.”

“What can I prepare for you, Mistress?”

“I’d like Hamburg steak, and miso soup with tofu floating in it! I already bought the ingredients.”

Mayoi nodded as she rummaged through the grocery bags Tomohito had put down earlier, then puffed out her chest.

“Just leave it to me!”

Akari smiled. Then she realized Tomohito was staring at her, his mouth open. She met his eye and nodded.

“That’s your favorite, isn’t it?”

“You… You remembered…”

Akari gave him the slightest of winks.

She recalled her childhood days spent sitting on the kubizuka mound, chatting with the demon as she ate sweet bean candy. How he had envied her ability to eat food back then. And how nice to know she could carry on sharing meals with him every day.

Tomohito seemed to swell with happiness. Beside him, Kansuke was talking to Rai.

“Have a drink with me, little buddy from the Western lands.”

“What are we drinking?”

“Alcohol, little buddy. What else? The great friendship maker, since ancient times!”

Somehow both smiling and frowning at the same time, Rai allowed Kansuke to put his arm around him and lead him out of the room. But before they could leave, Akari remembered something.

“Wait a second! I need to give this to you first, Rai. You too, Tomohito.”

“Me too, Mistress?”

She took both Rai and Tomohito by the hand and led them to the library, where the Kotogatari were displayed.

“You need a proper place on a Kotogatari shelf! It’s just like choosing your own room! Go on—pick a shelf!”

Rai’s wolflike ears twitched.

“A place of my very own?”

“Yes. This is your home after all, from now on.”

Rai looked down bashfully.

“I don’t remember much of my old life…but I do recall the comfort that comes from having a place to belong to.”

Rai started examining each shelf carefully to see which he liked best. Meanwhile, Akari turned to Tomohito, who was standing there looking hesitant.

“Which one is yours, Tomohito?”

“My shelf? It’s that one, Mistress.”

Tomohito pointed to an especially large shelf, with plenty of space for displaying a book. Just the right sort for a Kotogatari containing a demon of Tomohito’s strength and power. But the shelf was mostly symbolic, since Tomohito seemed to much prefer walking around outside his Kotogatari as he saw fit. Akari knew that.

“But why this talk of shelves all of a sudden?”

“Because I’ve made my home here now. There’s no need for you to go out all over the city looking out for me. You deserve a place to rest too.”

Books belonged on a bookshelf. That was just common sense. Mayoi and Kansuke returned here to their books after manifestations, so it followed that Tomohito and Rai should do the same.

But Tomohito was gazing at Akari with an imploring look in his eyes.

“I’d rather have my book stored in your book bag. Then you could carry me around with you and always keep me close.”

“Ah, that sounds like too much effort.”

“But, Mistress!”

Akari placed Kansuke’s volume onto his shelf first. Then she set Tomohito’s amber-colored book onto his as he watched. He made no protest, and she realized he didn’t really mind having his book stored here after all.

As she moved on, Tomohito remained standing in front of his book, gazing at its amber cover. He appeared a bit dazed, but also somewhat relieved.

“I’m not finished yet, am I?”

“No. You’ll continue to be, as long as I remember you always and keep telling your story.”

Because stories can never end, as long as there is someone around to tell them.

As a child, Akari had lost everything and everyone, along with her memories. But there was someone else who had kept the memory of her childhood in his mind and heart all this time…Tomohito.

He looked at her with surprise now. Apparently, his question had been rhetorical. But her answer made him smile, a smile that reminded her of flowers blooming after a long rain. Then he nodded vigorously.

“Yes, Mistress!”

Finally, Rai turned to look at them, his inspection of the bookshelves seemingly complete.

“Mistress, I have decided.”

Akari solemnly placed Rai’s book onto his desired shelf as he watched with anticipation. Then she turned to face the two Kotogami, her expression bright and clear.

“Now that that’s taken care of, let’s eat!”

Dinner that evening was a noisy affair, filled with laughter and good cheer.

As for the Hamburg steak and the miso soup with tofu floating in it… Akari had never tasted anything better.