Umeko and Sanemaru follow the woman deeper into the forest, until the sky turns to dusk above the hidden treasure of her tucked away land.
Turning up dirt on a worn path with prominent cart and horse tracks, the three tread toward the heart of property complete with a sheltered, stone well.
Mei points throughout her small farm that opens into harvested rows of land.
Watching four brown hens and a rooster roam free amidst skittish deer and a tame donkey, Umeko feels an unusual peace wash over her the longer they follow the outlined trail. Scanning the entire area, including spinning around to walk backwards as the two keep ahead of her, Umeko finds the forest enclosing them in a full circle.
Seeing Mei's property is concealed within seemingly endless, luscious trees, Umeko's lips part in wonder; hoping it could be difficult for many people to find the secret gem they're taking a break in, she faces their backs again.
Hurrying to get a little closer after a bee buzzes by cinnamon eyes, every sight and smell feels almost nostalgic to the girl as they begin to pass rows of herbs and vegetables still rooted in the ground.
Taking Umeko back to simpler times, she recalls when she was free to live naïve and foolishly within the "safe" confines of her lost mountain town.
Thinking about the kind of life she and Nobu could've had if they left before everything was taken away, she ponders on how many years they could've lived in ignorant bliss before returning from their worldly travels.
Languid steps causing her to fall behind the longer her mind plays through everything that's happened and all that could've been, Umeko misses most of the conversation taking place in front of her.
Mei (May) informs the astute and eager-to-please Sanemaru of her daily toils while the steed enthusiastically listens and compliments her.
Offset from their path, behind rows of harvested grain to the right, stands a shelter very similar to the pit-dwelling homes that once stood in Sankan no Machi; a circular structure set in the ground with wooden walls much taller than Sanemaru, form a coned roof with thatched reeds and hay.
Facing the path diagonally ahead to the left in a staggering arrangement is a sacred horse stall. Capable of housing four horses, only two are seen housed. Stumbling in awe at her first ever sight of a brown horse with wheat hair, then a white horse with wavy black hair, Umeko corrects her gait to keep from wandering off the path to get a closer look at the stall.
Glancing ahead to see neither Me nor Sanemaru take notice of her clumsiness, the girl fixes her clothes then hurries up.
Diagonally ahead and to the right of them is a wooden chicken coop standing on six, wooden legs with a seven step ladder.
Oooo! So smart. If we built houses like that we wouldn't have had to sleep with so many mice running through in the winter. Or worry of floods in the spring.
Reaching the top of a small hill in the path, Umeko catches glimpses of colorful flowers between the two ahead.
Their bodies, weaving together then apart in the midst of conversation, teases Umeko's gaze with glimpses of a sheltered well adorned in floral vines. Seeing the road ahead each time the gap between them widens, the path around the distant centerpiece opens into a circular clearing large enough for many couples to dance in.
Gray stone, stacked knee high in a circle, is covered by wooden panels; surrounded by four square posts that rise to protect any person retrieving water from rain or shine, an arched roof of wood is topped with hay and an assortment of colorful bellflowers.
I didn't know the world could be this beautiful in the most random of places. . .
Distracted by the moo of a healthy, brown cow grazing to their left, Umeko refocuses on Mei and Sanemaru. Catching the sound of endless doting that spews from Sanemaru as he smothers their host, Umeko grows annoyed by the mindless conversation of compliments and flirty giggles.
Marveling at the efficient setup and how well-maintained the witch's land is, Umeko suddenly chimes in, "Wow Mei! You must have a lot of kids to keep up a place this big."
Staring at the back of Mei's head, awaiting a response, Umeko's startled by what she believes to be a gnarly sneer when the woman glances back at her.
Stopping in her tracks, questioning if she really saw such malice in only the blink of an eye, the girl finds only a smile on porcelain features when Sanemaru turns to face them.
Am I losing it? It's hot, I'm hungry AND thirsty. . .but I'm almost sure I just saw–.
Giggling humbly, "How kind of you to suggest that all the hard work of these childless, two hands, from waking to resting, carry the effort of many people."
Covering her mouth with the more regal than farmhand kind of sleeve, "I can assure you both of undisturbed peace on my land, as no one will find you here."
Sanemaru nods, "Only a witch as powerful and beautiful as you could manage a barrier so impenetrable. Even Emma-ō would have a hard time finding us here."
Does everyone use magic to make their place look nice?! Lately. . .I'm surrounded by people capable of doing such great things that I. . .I feel so useless compared to them. I can't even protect my own mind or body.
Swallowing hard as she reflects on the pain that has plagued her since leaving behind every mortal she has ever known, each inadequacy Umeko has accumulated surfaces.
Trying not to be too hard on herself since everyone she knows now is some kind of spirit, demon, witch or god, Umeko angrily kicks a rock when Sanemaru wraps an arm around the woman's upper back.
Pulling Mei close and pressing his cheek joyfully to hers, "It's hard to believe a woman as young, lovely and gentle as you can bear the daily toil of this oasis on your own."
Ushering Mei forward as they reach the sheltered well, the group makes their way around it to gain a center view of a modestly large home standing on twelve sturdy, wooden legs that is now only a short distance away, "Seeing how well you manage, have you any use for the strong, calloused hands of a patient and dedicated man?"
Groaning under her breath, "Oh brother," Umeko sucks her lips into her mouth when his right ear twitches back toward her.
Ignoring her comment, the steed balls his fist and proudly flexes his left arm to showcase massive muscles. Parting from Mei only to take her hand, he guides slender digits to touch a venous, bouldered bicep.
Giggling with rosy cheeks, "Oh my," Mei squeezes flesh covered stone while covering her mouth with her free hand's fingertips, "I may never let you leave!"
Giving his arm a firm pat, "Let's hurry inside. I'll cook my best meals if in return you agree I can watch you do all my labors tomorrow."
Umeko rolls her eyes, only to shrug, He really knows how to connect with people. I can't believe someone like her is falling for such shameless flattery.
Mei covers her lips with both hands to keep from laughing. Sanemaru merely wiggles his eyebrows, "Since I lost my shirt. . ."
Bringing her hand to his lips, "You'll have to watch the beads of my laborious sweat as they roll down this thick," he takes his teeth over his bottom lip.
"Hard," kissing one knuckle, "Hot," then another, "Glistening body," and another.
Mei shivers before leaning in with a swoon, and he winks at her. Blowing the woman away with a hurricane wink and dimpled smirk, Umeko begins to pout.
That filthy, hag-fucking horse. I bet he's like this with EVERY woman. I'm not special in any way to him. . . Was everything we did together just a game to him?
Walking along, further perplexed and disgruntled by their unsubtle coquetting, Umeko rolls her eyes again.
Only this time, a quiet scoff escapes.
Glaring daggers at the back of his head, Thanks for showing me I'm right to never let you touch me in person!
Stomping her foot in a micro tantrum, Umeko quickens her pace before they can reach the eleven stone steps leading up to the large, wrap-around, wooden porch shaded by a hay roof's overhang.
He'd better drain her into a deep sleep so we can sneak out before dawn. Sanemaru, you horny bastard, you'd better not be serious about sticking around to do this witch's chores!
Drowning out the sounds of their voices, Umeko thinks of all the worst case scenarios that remain ahead.
Arriving at a brown curtain door that slides open for them, welcomed inside by the fair and gracious Mei, Umeko's whistle somehow echoes within the wooden walls.
Amazed by an incredibly imperial interior with simple, round wooden support beams to match the exterior legs, Umeko's astonished by how much bigger the interior looks compared to its deceptive exterior.
I can't believe I'm about to spend the night in a real Yama Uba's house!
Confirming to Umeko that the beautiful woman is indeed as much of a potential and formidable foe to them as they are to her, she can't wait to get out of here as soon as possible.
Mei gives them a tour of the elegantly furnished. well-kept dwelling that in Umeko's mind's perception doesn't feasibly hold four stories, a wine cellar, twelve bedrooms, three large bathing rooms, and a fully stocked kitchen on the main level.
There are even two, oddly dark, untoured halls that Mei merely cautions as, "Off limits for repairs," during the grand tour.
At the end of their discovery of being in an illusioned palace without a single servant or guest in sight, Mei leads them into a room large enough to sleep twenty on floor futons. Filled with shelves lining wooden paneled walls and human-sized straw figures dressed in detailed robes, the generous candlelight filling the room fails to do some of the outfits justice.
Walking past the stunned pair with a serene smile, "Wear whatever you find comfortable, as you are welcome to keep it for your journey."
Stopping at a wooden door on the other side of the room, Mei nods to them before sliding it open; candles in bronze stands line the walls of a smaller room between shelves filled with an excessive variety of men's and women's shoes, bags, hats, and other accessories.
Umeko and Sanemaru can't help but scan through the eclectic options of clean clothes and knickknacks. Staying close together as they reach Mei, Umeko's gut gets another nagging suspicion at the unusually generous hospitality.
Raising an eyebrow, while passing shelves of poor and priceless looking jewelry, some much older than others, "What do you get out of all this?"
On the way to turn and glance at the woman, head on and without shame, cinnamon eyes pass over the distraught, "I can't believe you just asked that," face on Sanemaru to a stunned look on their host's snowy face.
"You see," Mei starts, taking a few steps closer to the drenched, shivering Umeko covered in goosebumps and mud.
On hearing Sanemaru's foot step forward while earning a creak from the shiny, wooden floor, Mei holds a cautious hand up to the steed without looking and he stops, "I get very lonely in this large house all by myself. So, when I have the chance to take in weary travelers, I cannot help myself from inviting them inside."
Lowering her hand and casting her gaze to the floor at her feet, "No one ever stays long, since they always have someplace more important to go."
Looking up at Umeko with a pained smile, "Even distrustful company is better than my own on the darkest of night."
Grimacing, recalling her unusual frenemy relationship with Mizuki, Umeko bows her head with an ashamed, "I'm sorry. . .I've had so much taken from me that I–."
Feeling the weight of a hand on her shoulder, Umeko glances at a snowy hand with manicured fingers to find Mei attempting to comfort her.
Presenting two folded, pink towels in her other hand, "You may hang your soiled items out back on the line after washing them in the tub beside it."
Bowing to her guests, Mei turns to leave the two in the organized changing rooms filled with clothes and accessories of every occasion for every age and gender.
Grasping the towels tight in her hand, she watches Mei exit the entrance to the clothing room and shut the door behind her.
"Stop being so rude, Ume," Sanemaru scowls, drawing in the girl's attention, "She's helping us without getting anything out of it other than company."
Discovering the steed standing near her with his pants around his ankles, Umeko smacks his judgmental pointing finger out of her face with the towels before throwing one in his face.
Catching sight of his masculine crotch jump as he catches the towel before it hits the ground, she glares into his eyes, "Are you the one that might actually need convincing that these could all be her victims' clothes that we get to die in?!"
Searching the room, hearing no other sound and hoping the host didn't hear, Umeko whispers accusingly at Sanemaru, "What if we think we're going to use her but she's planning on using us right back? She might even poison us!"
Cringing at her own accidental, elevated pitch again, Umeko watches Sanemaru step out of his pants to dry off, "All we can do is enjoy ourselves until things can't be enjoyed anymore. Stop underestimating me and give one of my kind the benefit of the doubt for a change."
Stomping his way to shelved clothes, he snatches a pair of pants and a shirt on his way out the room, utterly naked.
Silently reaching to stop him, Am I really judging too harshly. . .?
After getting cleaned up, Umeko changes into a beige, wrap-tie dress; falling to her ankles, long bell sleeves drape from her wrists. Under the dress, she wears knee-length shorts that tie at the waist.
Wrapping the soiled clothes in her used towel, she retraces her steps to the front door and carries her wet clothes outside.
Walking around to the back, positive the house is still elevated from the ground by looking at it, she shakes her head at the mind-boggling abilities of the witch.
Doing as she was told, Umeko washes the items in a massive wooden tub filled with clear water, wrings them out well, then drapes them on the outdoor line.
Moseying back into the house, following the sound of chatter and dishes, Umeko wonders if she should apologize to Sanemaru or be quiet and let time tell who is wrong.
Entering an open door kitchen filled with peaceful views into the garden, Umeko finds them cooking.
Standing by the firepit with a large black cauldron and metal grates over embering wood piles off to the side, Umeko is delighted by the generous array of vegetarian dishes that will allow them to comfortably eat their fill.
Loosening up and getting into small-talk with the host and Sanemaru, she helps to clean up as they cook until it's time for the three to sit down to a modest feast.
Washing down the medley with rice wine, boiled spring water, and soothing smoke, they relax into a mound of floor cushions.
Nestled against the right side of Sanemaru's body, Umeko passes the wooden pipe across his naked abs to the woman nestled along his left side. Shivering against Sanemaru's hard heat, he embraces Umeko; rubbing her upper arm, his body fuels her warmth.
"Ah, perhaps we all could use a bath," Mei exhales white smoke before pressing the wooden tip to Sanemaru's thick lips, "It's quite large, so us ladies can go first–rather than one at a time," Umeko sits up with worry in her eyes as she looks at Sanemaru for guidance.
Inhaling the smoke and savoring its flavor before exhaling calmly, "I'm sworn not to leave her side in the presence of strangers."
Winking at Umeko with reassuring, storm gray eyes, the girl is relieved he spoke so eloquently that she didn't have to say a word. Stroking the wood with a nod before taking a deep inhale, Umeko reminds herself she's safe with the flirty, horny bastard.
"I see," Mei taps ruby lips before shrugging, "The bath is large enough to fit all three of us, even more had there been so. Could that be a solution?"
Umeko coughs up the smoke, pushing the pipe into Sanemaru's hands then scurrying to the table to find her cup and drink down tepid, aromatic fluid.
Shit.
I don't want to bathe alone with her.
. . .but I just know they're going to go at it right in front of me if his ass is in there. . .
. . .Why is everything with everyone always about sex?!