Kasho stopped in front of the door, looking around like he was haunted. The soft wind made him feel weird and the night seemed strangely calm. He frowned nervously, looking for the last time behind him, only to assure himself that no one was following him.
Ever since he poisoned Satoshi, he felt... guilty.
But Satoshi deserves this. He was just using me and the other demons. He wanted to eliminate us.
Did he?
For a moment, he wasn't sure. He knew the single way out of the situation was to get the money from the girl's buyer and run away from the country. He knew what Satoshi could've done to him if he found him there after the poison was gone.
Satoshi was too strong for him. He could've killed him easily when he passed out, but then the demons would've chased him until he was dead. He couldn't afford that risk.
But if it's truly necessary...
He sighed. There was no point in thinking that far. Now, he had an important problem which was clearly more dangerous.
Miss M.
"Come in, would you? I'm not some princess waiting for a gentleman. We both know what you are." The voice within the tea house was so delicate and feminine, but Kasho wasn't surprised. He knew demons were the most attractive beings on the earth. That was their nature.
He smirked and opened the door.
The woman was sitting on the other side of the table, sipping slowly from her cup of sake. She made eye contact with him immediately and put down the cup, responding at his smirk with a bright smile. "It's good to see you, demon. Please, close the door and have a sit."
He obeyed her commands, without interrupting the eye contact. It was like a game. And he wasn't intending to lose.
"May I ask why Miss Mei is looking for me? You're quite a respected prostitute, as some people told me."
She smiled, but her eyes narrowed. She knew he was trying to poke her with subtle insults. But she didn't seem to care. For now.
"It's amusing how people talk about me. But, indeed, I'm a prostitute. The prostitute. And if you're acting nice, maybe..." She bit her lip, studying him from head to toes. Her vulgar gaze made him slightly interested, but it was no time for such a thing. "... you'll be able to... taste my service."
"Oh?" Kasho lifted an eyebrow, impressed by her boldness. "And what does 'nice' mean to a prostitute like you?"
She grinned. "I don't need no gentleman, I can assure you. But... 'nice' means 'information' for me. So, what's gonna be, big boy?"
He took the cup full of sake, which was prepared for him, and drank it, thinking about her reasons for doing this. He never saw her. But her voice... kind of seemed familiar...
"What kind of information are you asking for? Maybe I don't have it."
She chuckled, leaning her back against the wall, her white shoulders being completely exposed. "Oh, don't worry. I'm sure you have the information I need. Actually, you have more than information. So, big boy, tell me what's your desire. What are you trying to get? What does your heart want?"
Kasho cracked up, placing the cup on the table. "I think this is the stupidest thing a demon ever told me."
She shrugged, not bothered by his mocking. "I'm special. Now... don't be shy. You can talk with me. I can offer everything you want. I have connections."
"So do I."
"Do you?"
Satoshi's connections were far more precious than his... but he had some on his own as well. His plan was running smoothly. He had nothing to fear.
"I do."
She tilted her head, smiling again like she didn't have any worries. Her mask was perfect. He narrowed his eyes. She could've been older than him. Maybe she was the same age as Satoshi. One thing he knew for sure: she was much more than she let to be seen. He had to be cautious with her.
"Now, now, now... aren't you gonna let me at least say what I want from you?"
He looked straight into her eyes and raised his hand towards her. "Of course, my lady. Tell me."
She smiled shyly, even though her smile was sly as a fox's.
This thought came to his mind. But she didn't have that specific energy. She... didn't have any traces of energy at all. Her expression seemed dangerous. She seemed dangerous. And Kasho trusted his guts. He knew something was weird about her.
"I think you have something which is mine." She said, analyzing his reactions like he was an open book.
"What are you talking about?" He replied, frowning, pretending to be truly interested.
"Hmm... 'exotic features'... does it sound familiar?"
The person who took the foreigner woman away in the day they met the first time. The person who shouted: "Get your filthy hands off her!". Suddenly, he understood why her voice seemed familiar. She was the one who was hanging out with the girl he was intending to sell soon.
"So, the foreigner lied to me. She wasn't alone. Shocking."
She shrugged. "Do you think she is stupid enough to say she's friends with a goddamn demon? Please. Not all of the humans are stupid."
"Indeed. She must be very special if you consider her... your 'friend'."
She chuckled, catching his suspicious tone. "You can't understand our relationship. It's complicated."
"I'm sure it is. She decided to come with me. She doesn't want to see you again. Do you have a problem with that?"
"Not all." She replied, her calm expression making him became nervous. She was too calm for a demon, who was clearly outnumbered. He had men outside. She knew he had men outside. He could've seen it clearly on her face and how she looked periodically at the door, expecting someone to come.
What if she's waiting, not my men, but hers...?
Kasho removed the thought quickly. His men would've given him a heads-up.
Unless they are dead.
"But, you see... I want to say goodbye. I want to make sure she's okay and she really wants to go with you. Because if you took her by force..." Her expression became deadly serious and he could've felt something crawling up his chest, something he didn't feel at all since he met Satoshi.
Fear.
The disgusting, horrible sense of fear.
"I'm sure she will send you a letter soon. She doesn't want to see you anymore. In fact, she's in love with Satoshi-san. I bet you know who Satoshi-san is, right Miss Mei?"
She lifted arrogantly her chin and her eyes narrowed, glancing at him with a fire within them. "Oh, I surely know how madly she loves Satoshi, rest assured. But... you see... I know you betrayed Satoshi. And things are going to be nasty if you don't give them to me."
The blood froze in his veins.
Who was this woman? How could she possibly know what he did in the last two days? He was sure he wasn't followed. His men, his demons didn't feel anyone around.
Then... how did she know?
Did a spy crawl within his army? Was he compromised?
All the questions came like a storm within his head, but outside he was calm and prepared for everything she threw at him. He couldn't let his plan get ruined. He had to manage every problem he encountered.
And Miss Mei surely is a big problem.
"May I ask where did you get this information from?"
A corner of her mouth turned upwards. "Rest assured. There's no spy within your men. I can't tell you the source because then I might get in trouble. The only thing I can tell is that... I know everything about you and Satoshi, Kasho-kun. And you'd better understand that there's no way out for you. Satoshi is going to beat your ass soon. This is a small spoiler. Sorry for ruining your fun. But... we can avoid that. If you give me my girl and Satoshi."
"Listen, Miss Mei."
He was mad. His temper was hard to control and that lady managed to step on all of his nerves. She had a gift for that, he thought. A rare talent. He wanted to kill her at that moment and in that place. The only thing which stopped him was the incertitude of who she was and what connections she had. If she had an army behind her... everything would've got messy. He didn't want any more problems.
"Unfortunately, this can't be happening. Now, if you excuse me, Miss Mei, I have something to take care of. Have a lovely night."
He got to his feet and tried to open the door, but the cold sensation of a blade pressed on his neck made him stop immediately. Kasho chuckled, not surprised by her action. "My, my, Miss Mei. You're a warrior, aren't you?"
"I prefer 'ready-for-everything', but you can assume that, Kasho-kun. Now. We both know I can't let you go without having an agreement. Your men are well prepared, I'm sure of that, but you see..." She came closer, whispering in his ear, and tickling his neck. "... I have the element of surprise. They didn't expect me to have a huge army, did they?"
Kasho exhaled sharply. His hands were tied. He couldn't do much.
But Satoshi's sword... The demon destroyer...
... was kept by a gatekeeper demon.
He chuckled. "Then we have a deal, Miss Mei. May I show you the way towards your precious... friends?"
He sensed her becoming tensed. He knew she couldn't be easily fooled. She was suspicious, because he was giving in too fast. Like this was his original plan.
But she didn't know that he just knew how to outplay his opponents.
"I hope you don't have any funny thoughts in that weird head of yours. One wrong step and you're gonna die by my hand, understood?"
He smiled and nodded, carefully to not let the blade get too deep into his throat. Not that it could've killed him. It was just an ordinary knife.
But the message of it... it means war.
"Let's go then. After you, my lady." He said, opening the door and letting Miss Mei get out of the tea house. Throwing him one last skeptical look, she drew a deep breath and walked out in the calm night.