Chapter Three: A Convenient Misunderstanding

 

 

 

Chapter Three: A Convenient Misunderstanding

 

IT had been a few days since Akari took up her post as custodian of the Bookhouse, and time had passed quickly. Now she had to return to her real job.

Akari dressed in her new light-pink kimono adorned with red peony flowers and a bright red sash.

It was company policy for her to wear the mandatory work clothes, which consisted of a drab coverall apron, at the office. But Akari gave herself free rein to wear what she really liked underneath.

Her shabby work bag slung across her shoulder, Akari sat down in the entrance hall to re-lace her boots. Tomohito hovered behind her fretfully.

“Are you sure you’re not going to take the Kotogatari along with you?”

“I told you already. We can’t bring personal items to work. If it got stolen, I’d never get it back. Or it might get confiscated and disposed of. You don’t want that, do you?”

“No, Mistress…”

Tomohito’s shoulders slumped and he slunk back a step as Mayoi came trotting up.

Her beautiful kimono sleeves were tucked up and she wore a frilly apron. She offered a cloth-wrapped bundle to Akari.

“Mistress, I made you a bento lunch. Please bring it with you!”

“What a sweet girl you are, Mayoi! Thank you!”

Akari was genuinely pleased. She’d been wondering what to do about lunch. Mayoi blushed and smiled happily. But she was lingering. All of a sudden, Akari guessed what she wanted.

“…Hug?”

“!”

Mayoi’s face lit up. Akari had guessed right. A moment later, Mayoi flung herself into Akari’s arms. As Akari hugged her tight, bulky kimono and all, Mayoi snuggled close.

Mayoi had grown extremely affectionate toward her in a very short amount of time. But after so much loneliness, the little girl was still awkward about expressing her wants. Akari tried to anticipate her needs whenever possible.

After a few moments of silent hugging, Mayoi seemed satisfied. Then she looked up, her expression smug and aimed at Tomohito.

Akari swore she could hear the sound of his teeth grinding together.

“Urgh! I could make Mistress Akari a bento lunch, if only I had a moment to study the technique!”

“By the time you’re done with that, I’ll already have memorized all of Mistress Akari’s favorite foods.”

Akari watched them pensively. She’d thought they were close after a decade spent living together, but she’d been forced to revise that opinion.

For her part, Akari had become quite good at breezing past these little rivalry spats of theirs in the past few days.

Releasing Mayoi, Akari got to her feet as the two Kotogami stared each other down.

“I’m off. You two get along, now.”

“Then I shall see you off, Mistress!”

“If you dare follow me to my office, I shall take all your duties and give them to Mayoi.”

Tomohito froze and began stealthily slipping out of his shoes again. Akari sighed. I knew it.

“Mistress, I worry about you…but I understand. Have a good day.”

“I’ll see you both later.”

Akari looked over her shoulder. Tomohito was staring at her, expression doleful, while Mayoi was waving cheerfully.

Hand on the door, Akari paused. Tomohito tipped his head to one side as he observed her.

“Is something amiss, Mistress?”

“…It’s nothing. See you later.”

It’s just been so long since anyone’s seen me off at the door, thought Akari, waving at them both with an odd feeling in her chest.

∗∗∗

IT was cold out in the morning air, even though spring’s coming was evident.

Clutching her cape tightly around her shoulders, Akari headed to the streetcar station. She had to leave the house a little earlier than usual, but it was very convenient that the streetcar ran all the way from Shinkuju station to Marunochui, where she worked.

She went through the ticket gate using the commuter pass she’d bought yesterday and got onto the streetcar along with a crowd of other workers in suits. Now all she had to do was relax and get off at the station nearest to her office.

The wooden houses and buildings seen from the streetcar windows became classier and less mismatched as the journey progressed. Also, the streets running parallel to the tracks became increasingly populated with rickshaws and automobiles.

Akari disembarked at the nearest stop and found herself in familiar territory: Marunochui. It was heavily populated due to its status as the center of economic development in the Yamato Empire, and corporations and businesses abounded.

Akari’s company was among their number. And while the gray, sterile-looking company buildings loomed large, there were also a number of parks preserved for recreation, still thick with their original trees.

“I heard it used to be an army parade ground, though.”

She needed to cut through Hiyabi Park to get to her office. Just as Akari was about to head into the green, leafy park, she heard a loud voice coming through a megaphone somewhere nearby.

“And so it seems evident that in these post-Westernized times of ours, the continued existence of the yokai is an anachronism! Why then does our government appoint these shady Narrators to positions of power? And why are these yokai allowed to run unchecked in our midst? I say this should stop!”

The speech was met with supportive cheers from a group of men standing around holding placards that read things like “Abolish All Narrators!” and “Burn All Kotogatari.”

Ah yes, the main reason why I didn’t want to get involved, Akari thought, sighing to herself.

Hiyabi Park had been the gathering ground of late for these anti-Kotogami, book-burning activists. They viewed all yokai as dangerous beings and mistrusted the Narrators’ ability to keep them in check. As radicals, they were demanding the burning of every last Kotogatari tome in existence.

Akari disliked stories, but her solution to that was to simply avoid them. She didn’t feel the need to pursue their destruction. She grimaced at the activists and noticed that the other commuting workers walking nearby also looked uncomfortable and annoyed.

In Hiyabi Park, several newly erected signs said things like “Beware of Animal Spirits” and “If you encounter an animal spirit, remain calm and contact the Narrators’ Association.” Akari wondered if those book burners understood that the Narrators were the ones dealing with the yokai disturbances. What did they think was going to happen if they got their wish—if the Narrators were shut down and all the Kotogatari burned?

But she kept her mouth shut, not wanting to get involved as she hurried across the park.

Akari’s company, Sumimata Corporation, was a general trading company that dealt in Western clocks and imports, and manufactured gramophones for sale. Akari’s job was primarily to assist the male employees.

She served tea, filed various paperwork, and did random accounting. There were always piles of such work to be done. The female employees were also generally kept so busy doing routine tasks for other (male) employees that they were always playing catch-up with their own work.

It looked as if the other former residents of the company dorm were back at work today too, and the hot gossip of the office was all about the fire and the Raiju attack.

At lunchtime, the gramophone clock automatically played a record, a Western tune Akari didn’t know the name of. The clock was one of the company’s prized original products. Akari sighed from her seat at her appointed desk as the music played.

“After a few days off, work seems more draining than ever…”

It had taken some effort to get back into work mode. She hadn’t made any major mistakes so far, but she felt as though she’d better be careful for a while.

“Miss Akari…”

“Oh, Mitsuko. What’s up?”

When Akari heard the clear voice behind her and turned around, she saw Mitsuko Maruyama, who’d joined the company at the same time as her.

She was the same age as Akari. Dressed in a somber kimono with a fine pattern, hair tied in a tidy chignon, and emanating an aura of grace and refinement that immediately identified her as a graduate of an all-girls school. She could be somewhat timid, and usually it was up to Akari to initiate conversations with her. It was very unusual for her to seek Akari out this way.

Mitsuko chewed her lip for a moment before responding. “I heard your dorm burned down. I was wondering if you were okay.”

“I don’t know if okay is the word I’d use. All my stuff went up in flames. Hey, since you’re here, why don’t we eat lunch together and you can fill me in on everything I missed?”

“Oh, okay. Sure.”

Mitsuko’s expression instantly brightened as Akari pulled out her bento lunch. The two of them decided to head up to the rooftop together to eat. The office stank of the men’s cigarettes and was unpleasant to eat in.

“So, how’s that new project you’ve been put on going?”

“It’s going okay. There were a few mishaps, but nothing too bad. I’m just glad to be helping out.”

Mitsuko smiled shyly. Akari was rather impressed. Mitsuko never complained, and she was very difficult to read. But right now, she was showing a rare confidence in her work.

It had surprised Akari when Mitsuko had been assigned a project involving the company’s actual products. Most of the women spent their days on one miscellaneous office task or another. Not that Akari was looking down on office tasks, of course.

“You’ve got to be doing better than just about any other woman in the company, Mitsuko. I’d better step up my game and try to follow your example.”

As long as it doesn’t mean going above my pay grade, Akari thought wryly as Mitsuko blushed.

On the way to the rooftop, they encountered a man who was barking in a loud, angry voice as he loomed menacingly over some of the other employees.

“The blasted Raiju! Thundergod or not, I don’t give a damn! It’s destroyed our company dorm! Now we need to waste money rebuilding! This is going to hold back company advancement!”

“And this is why we have the Narrators? They treat those yokai like pets! And they get paid OUR tax money to keep the public safe. What a joke!”

The group of men walking the girls’ way in the hallway were all in their forties or fifties. From the way they comported themselves, they seemed to be top management. Sumimata Corp. traded goods to the major department stores and did other big, impressive business-type things. A lowly assistant like Akari had never had a reason to come face-to-face with management before.

Once the men had gone and they’d checked that the roof was empty, Mitsuko sighed heavily.

“Ever since the Raiju attack, people have been publicly speaking out against the Narrators and the Kotogami like that.”

“So it’s gotten even worse than usual.”

Akari frowned. The company’s prime location in the heart of expensive Marunochui was proof alone of its supposed quality. You’d think its top employees would be able to have a conversation without squabbling like children.

Actually, maybe the company being so big and all was the reason why these people were so self-assured about their views. Akari realized all over again that she was going to need to make sure the truth about her living in a Kotogami Bookhouse never got out.

She’d do the work she got paid for and be thankful for it. She wanted nothing more from this company than what she was owed.

“Also, Chief Gosaka didn’t seem too happy about you taking time off from work, so you’d better watch out for him.”

“Hmph. Sounds like he’s still vexed that I asked him how much longer those documents would take. Or maybe he’s still sore from when I pointed out that mistake he made. Oh, I also pointed out a translation error he made in another document.”

“I…I think all that may have contributed, yes. Everyone really depends on you in this company, don’t they?”

Mitsuko blinked at Akari with reverence. Avoiding the other woman’s gaze, Akari felt a touch of pride, but it was bittersweet.

Gosaka was a notorious offender of the crime of dumping his workload off on the female employees, who were all sick of him. He was also constantly making mistakes in his work, which he not only refused to own up to but also blamed on the female employees.

Before Mitsuko had been transferred to another department, she’d been Gosaka’s favorite target. Akari had stepped in to help her out countless times. All part of the job, Akari thought.

Making a mental note to watch out for Gosaka, Akari sat down on a bench and unwrapped the cloth containing her lunch.

“Oh, Miss Akari. That bento seems a little different from your usual.”

“My housemate made it for me, actually.”

Akari normally brought a wicker basket with a few rice balls in it for lunch. She’d never used a fancy bento box like this, formed from a curved sheet of wood.

Akari opened the lid as Mitsuko looked on with interest. The inside was crammed with all kinds of goodies. Stuffed sweet-and-sour pork, spring rolls, and various side dishes consisting of lightly stir-fried vegetables. Half of the box was filled with yellow rice, which looked on closer inspection to be egg fried rice.

It seemed Mayoi could cook Chinese cuisine as well as standard Western fare. What a marvelous Kotogami she was.

Akari quickly got out her chopsticks and dived in to the side dishes. The sweet-and-sour pork lived up to its name and was delicious. The fried rice was crumbly and tasted so different from ordinary white rice.

The spring rolls were fried with a crispy exterior. The chef had paid close attention to achieving a variety of textures and mouthfeel as well as taste.

“Miss Akari…where are you living now?”

Akari stopped savoring the lunch and paused. Mitsuko was staring at her in bewilderment, her own bento box left unopened. It was the obvious question, but how to answer it? She couldn’t tell the truth—that she’d taken on a custodian role at a Bookhouse.

“I have this…acquaintance…and they said I could live at their house if I helped with chores and so on. Kind of like a lodger? But I pay for my keep by helping around the house. Anyway, they like cooking food from different cultures, and they were generous enough to share with me.”

“Oh, I see…”

“Never mind that, though, Mitsuko. How’s work really? No one’s trying to make you do their share as well, are they?”

Akari was concerned about Mitsuko, who seemed rather gloomy. The other woman paused for a moment before smiling and shaking her head.

“I’m so glad for you, though, Miss Akari!

“It’s going to take at least two months for the company dorm to be rebuilt, so I’m thinking about staying with them until then.”

“I see. So you’ve figured something out on your own… How resourceful you are.”

“Oh, it’s not that impressive, Mitsuko.”

Akari hadn’t really done anything. She’d kind of fallen into the arrangement. It wasn’t anything to admire.

As Mitsuko continued to gaze at Akari with reverence, Akari popped another bite of sweet-and-sour pork into her mouth.

∗∗∗

THE end of the workday arrived at last, and Akari joyfully began to pack up her things.

The Chinese bento lunch had been heavenly. Now she was excited for tonight’s dinner.

Akari headed down the stairs to the exit on the ground floor, wondering what Mayoi was planning to do about groceries for dinner.

“Mitsukuri. Your first day back, and you’re out the door on the dot? Tch. Typical woman.”

Akari heard the snide voice from behind her and turned to see the infamous Gosaka standing there.

Manicured mustache bristling, Gosaka came striding over to Akari with an air of menace.

Give me a break, Akari thought, composing her expression and giving him a brief, polite bow. She had to be civil. After all, he was her superior. And she wanted to keep her job.

“Hello, Chief Gosaka. If there’s nothing I can help you with, I’ll be heading home now.”

“Hmph. Taking time off for personal reasons… At least catch up on the work you skipped out on before leaving—”

“Thanks, Mitsukuri! I can leave on time thanks to you helping clear the work backlog earlier!”

“Always happy to help! See you tomorrow! …Now, Chief Gosaka, you were saying?”

Akari waved a hand in parting to the male employee who’d just thanked her, then returned her gaze to Gosaka, who was scowling.

She tilted her head to one side and blinked at him innocently. Looking deeply annoyed, he cleared his throat.

“A-HEM. Don’t think I haven’t noticed your snotty attitude, missy. You may be good at pushing papers around and making tea, but you’ll be sorry when the time comes to get married and no man wants you.”

Akari was far too busy just trying to keep a roof over her head and clothes on her back to care about marriage. So naturally, she didn’t care what Gosaka thought. But secretly, his words did sting a little.

Akari kept her expression still and composed. But Gosaka seemed to somehow know. His triumphant smirk proved it.

“Yes, you smarty-pants, marriage-delaying girls are all the same. Can’t find a man, and when you do manage to trap one, it’s always an ugly brute. Hahaha!”

Surely Gosaka was satisfied now. He had to let her go pretty soon, right?

Once she got home, tasty food would be waiting for her. The Chinese bento lunch was very rich, and she was in the mood for a nice mild fish dish. Not filleted, but a whole fish grilled, head and all. Maybe mackerel or sardines… That would be nice. Akari clenched her fists inside her sleeves, thinking soothing thoughts of dinner.

That was when she noticed something from the corner of her eye.

The crowd of workers parted and a strikingly handsome young man walked forward. As soon as he made eye contact with Akari, his face lit up like a firework and he came hurrying over.

It goes without saying the man was Tomohito. Akari blinked at him, his collar-length hair mussed by the breeze. She could almost visualize a wagging tail emerging from his suit pants.

“You must be tired from work, Mistr—”

In a panic, Akari ran the last few steps toward him and quickly clamped her hand over his mouth to shut him the heck up.

As if surprised by her touch, his cheeks burst into color. But Akari paid his blushes no heed, simply glaring at him with fury etched across her face.

“If you dare call me Mistress or act in any way like a servant toward me in this of all places, I swear to you I’ll call you nothing but Mr. Yagyou from now on! This is my job! Don’t you dare screw it up for me! In fact, help me if you can!”

“Wh-What?”

Tomohito seemed confused, but he could only nod, cowed by the fury of Akari’s hissing.

Just then Gosaka stomped over to them, purple in the face with rage. Oops, Akari shouldn’t have just walked away from him midconversation.

“Mitsukuri! Who is this man?”

“I’m terribly sorry, Chief Gosaka. This is the person whose house I’m currently lodging at. He was concerned about me and came to meet me at work.”

“What! You’re living with a man?! What a disgraceful scandal!”

Akari couldn’t explain without letting Tomohito’s identity as a Kotogami slip, and she couldn’t think of a suitable excuse. Besides, she was living with a man. Well, not technically. But for all intents and purposes…

As Akari stood there chewing her lip, unsure what to do, Tomohito stepped forward with a tight smile.

“I can assure you I have the purest of intentions. Mistr… Miss Akari is a rare jewel and I intend to treat her with nothing but respect.”

Akari could just sense the ears pricking up on every passing coworker who was leaving the building just then.

Among them, she noticed Mitsuko, and all the other female coworkers she was most familiar with. Akari rolled her eyes heavenward. Oh, good grief, she thought.

Gosaka seemed more shocked by Tomohito’s proclamation than anyone else. He was gazing stupidly at the young Kotogami, his jaw hanging loose.

Akari understood that look. After all, Tomohito was beautiful.

On top of his physical qualities, that restrained, polite smile he was wearing right at that moment made him look intelligent and disciplined, and his three-piece suit was very similar to the ones worn by the higher-class businessmen in the area. He could even pass for the son of a nobleman.

It appeared as if Tomohito had decided to play along with Akari’s frantic request for backup.

Yes, she had gotten through to him, it seemed, but was it her imagination, or had he actually grasped the whole situation quite sharply as well?

“Wh-Whaaat?!”

“Do excuse me. See you again tomorrow, Chief.”

Taking Gosaka’s confusion as her cue to escape, Akari quickly said goodbye and grabbed Tomohito’s hand. Then, doing her best to ignore the gasps and the commotion from the crowd behind them, Akari fled from the building as fast as she could.

Please let the world end so I don’t have to go to work tomorrow, she thought.

Once they were a safe distance away, Akari turned on Tomohito with a glare.

“I told you NOT to come to my office.”

“I’m sorry! I couldn’t help it. And you didn’t say anything about not being able to come and greet you outside the building after work…”

Tomohito seemed to know that he’d twisted her instructions for his own benefit. He cowered before Akari’s steely gaze.

The bookbag was slung across his shoulder. She’d forgotten that he’d been wandering around by himself when she’d met him, carrying his own Kotogatari around.

Akari heaved a put-upon sigh. Why do I always have to explain basic things to him? she wondered. Nonetheless, she launched into yet another explanation.

“This area is filled with activists who are trying to do away with the Narrators. They’re radicals, get it? So if any of them get wind that you’re a Kotogami, they’ll make mincemeat out of you.”

“So telling me to stay away was to…protect me?”

“Partly. And partly for self-preservation.”

Akari looked away as Tomohito’s smile brightened.

Still grinning happily, he placed one hand over his heart and bowed politely.

“Thank you. But please be assured. Only a fellow Kotogami or a Narrator could identify me by sight.”

“Hmm, you’re probably right.”

Akari rubbed her chin, thinking back on that scene at the company.

When she’d caught a glimpse of the faces of the other female employees, they’d all seemed very excited. Perhaps they were under the mistaken impression that Tomohito was Akari’s fiancé.

She cringed for a moment. Then she realized that maybe this wasn’t such a bad thing after all.

If she let people go on thinking they were engaged, then that would provide a convenient excuse for why she and Tomohito were living under the same roof. She wouldn’t have to explain about the Bookhouse at all.

All right, I’ll go along with it for now, Akari thought, just as Tomohito tentatively spoke again.

“So…you’re not angry with me?”

Akari blinked, then looked away in embarrassment.

“Hmm, well, you did help me out, this time. But this is not to happen again, got that?”

“I shall make sure of it, I swear.”

Tomohito nodded earnestly at her.

The excitement over, Akari realized her stomach was grumbling. Lunch seemed a lifetime ago.

“Let’s hurry back. I wonder what’s for dinner tonight. We might need to make a grocery run…”

“I already went shopping, and Mayoi has finished preparing dinner. She said she was trying some Western-style cooking tonight.”

“I can’t wait! I hope we’re all right for funds, though…”

Akari was always worrying about money. But right now, she cared more about getting some good food inside her.

Tomohito held out the book bag to her as if it were only natural for her to take it. He took her own bag in exchange and they started walking home together, the air between them a bit awkward.

Wait a minute. How did he know where I worked? …But Akari pushed that question aside. She was famished and didn’t have the energy for any further conversational battles with Tomohito.