Each one of the Tsukumogami had a different story. Some had seen their proprietors die. Others had been abandoned by them because of long use. They had seen human pain. They had experienced pain themselves. They have all been scarred by their relationship with mankind.
Tonight, for the very first time since eras, they were partying with humans around a bonfire.
'Are you alright?' called a young male voice, and I looked on my right at the young boy who had approached me where I was sitting by the bonfire on the trunk of a tree.
The young boy was around eleven and without any doubt, it was Emaki, the animated scroll.
I touched my bruised cheek, replying, 'It still hurts a bit. And you?'
'Fine.' He sat down next to me on the trunk. 'Thank you for having protected me like you did.'
'Don't mention it!'
He opened his mouth to say something, but then, he seemed to hesitate.
Can it be that…
'You know, I have a friend- well, he's more like a brother to me- and he doesn't have any weapon to combat maleficent creatures. Do you think that you'd like it to pass a contract with him and to become his comrade-in-arms?'
'Yes. A lot!' he answered, utterly rejoiced.
I smiled.
'Who is that?' I asked him then, when my eyes fell onto one particular Tsukumogami that was keeping away from the others and watching Tsurayuki and I from a good distance away without participating in the party.
'Oh, it's Ichiren-Bozu,' Emaki informed me. 'He- He doesn't appreciate the company of humans at all. He's especially bitter after what happened earlier with the two other monster-hunters. It's really too bad, you know? He is one good luck charm like you can no longer find today.'
I gave Emaki a bewildered look.
'I- I've heard your conversation with your mission partner earlier today.'
At this, I glanced at Tsurayuki who was sitting close-by.
"I'm jinxed. All the bad luck ever since we've undertaken this mission- it's me. I attract disaster like a magnet. It is, as though, I have a demon entitled to me that brings misfortune upon me and all those around me. My mother has died while giving birth to me. The members of the organization- I used to make part of in the past- have been decimated. I had isolated myself after that; I wanted to be all alone, until I met Master Kagami. Bad luck and misadventures accompany me in my everyday life."
***
In the meanwhile, at the Ametsuchi Bar…
Sitting at the bar counter with Hatsu Sho, Tsunan Hitachiin took out his wallet to fix their bill, when, without any warning, his blond friend snatched his wallet from his hand.
'What's taken over you? Give me my wallet back!' said the doctor, but his words fell on deaf ears.
Giggling, Hatsu took out something from the back pocket of his jeans and slipped it into the wallet, before handing the object back to the doctor.
The latter realized that it was a copy of the picture he had taken with Shun during Hanami.
'What will Shun think when she'll see that I have a picture of the two of us in my wallet?'
'Oh, I can already imagine her flushing tomato red!' cooed Hatsu, squirming like a girl. 'Ne, don't you miss our little Shun? I do miss her a lot!'
The blond male saw his friend's expression change, all suddenly.
Giving Tsunan a large tap on his back, he told him, half-teasingly, 'Don't make that face! She'll be back very soon!'
'It's not that,' said the doctor.
'What is it then?' asked Hatsu, in a babyish tone, before he exclaimed with rigor, 'Go on! Confide yourself to your best friend!'
'Shun is very kind-hearted. I like it. But it also scares me a lot.'
Looking at Hatsu, he found the latter staring at him, seriously, seeming to consider what he had just said. But then, Hatsu, being Hatsu, exclaimed, flamboyantly, 'I can't believe it! You've really confided yourself to me! It's the very first time! I'm moved! I'm so moved!'
Tsunan's eyes narrowed at him, cynically.
'Will you ever stop clowning about one day?!'
***
The next day…
We were about to leave when I caught sight of Ichiren-Bozu, which was watching us secretly from behind a tree.
Putting my bag back down, I moved up to the said-tree and peered behind it at the hiding animated prayer beads.
'Excuse me...' I called, timidly and it snapped, bitterly, 'What? What do you want?'
'Can I speak to you for a minute?'
'No! I have nothing to say to you!'
'Please!' I dared to insist and it let out a sigh, then grumbled, 'Alright. But you have only a minute.'
I got down onto my knees and took a glance over my shoulder at Tsurayuki Senryū who was watching me, his expression bemused.
'Emaki has told me that you're a good luck charm and my comrade has great need of your help. Do you think that- you could pass a contract with him?' I asked it, humbly.
'What will I gain in doing that?' it demanded, sharply.
'His friendship…'
'It's not sufficient!'
I hung my head in disappointment.
'But, I'm ready to give you a chance,' it announced, unexpectedly and I cheered up.
'You'll have to go through an ordeal and if you succeed, then, I'll accept to pass a contract with your comrade!'
'Really?' I said, filled with hope.
'Yes.'
'Shutsuki, leave it!' Tsurayuki called at me, but I didn't listen and told the Tsukumogami, 'I agree.'
Giggling maliciously, the prayer beads put some distance between the two of us before it transformed itself into a whitish-blue Onibi.
I was astonished. I didn't know that Tsukumogami could do that. It wasn't any bigger than the ones of yesterday and it was floating around one and a half meter above ground.
'Try to approach me and seize me if you dare!'
Ichiren-Bozu didn't simply take the likeliness of Onibi. It also embodied all the characteristics of the Onibi.
I straightened up, taking a deep breath.
'Shun Shutsuki, don't do it!' exclaimed Tsurayuki. 'The request that I've made to you yesterday, it was idiotic; I wasn't serious!'
I turned half-around to face the the latter, telling him, 'You know, Tsurayuki, I don't think that your mother or the ancient members of the Shindō Organization have disappeared because of you. You may not be the luckiest person in this world but, this is going to change. You won't have to worry anymore.'
'Stop it! You're going to kill yourself!'
'It's going to be alright.' I gave him a reassuring smile before I turned to face the transformed Ichiren-Bozu again. 'I'm sure that it's not going to kill me.'
'You're wrong! You're dead if you come too close!' contradicted the Tsukumogami, but I was convinced that it wouldn't kill me.
'Stop!' I heard Tsurayuki shout at my back, as I began to walk towards the transformed yōkai, but I continued my way, feeling my energy leaving me little by little the more I neared it.
'You should listen to him!' the Tsukumogami exclaimed. 'You've already lost half of your energy! You'll die even before you can touch me!'
My limbs became heavier at every step, and my eyes blurred from time to time, but I didn't stop.
'Stop there!' cried Ichiren-Bozu, hysterically when I was only a meter away from it.
Just one more step…
Putting one dithering foot forward, I reached out for the Onibi/Ichiren-Bozu. The fire wasn't hot when my hand entered into it and I closed my fingers around the prayer beads.
The light disappeared, leaving place to the Tsukumogami, which was weeping in hysteria. 'You sicko!'
I sank down onto my knees in weakness, my mind hazy.
'Ne, we have an agreement, yes?' I croaked out. 'You're going to pass a contract with my comrade, eh?'
'Yes! A promise is a promise!'
I smiled, weakly, before I looked over my shoulder at Tsurayuki who was staring at me, completely frozen.
My body gave up onto me at that moment and my eyelids closed.
***
The following day, at the organization...
'Don't you have any value for your life?!' Master Kagami yelled at me, jerking to his feet and slamming his hands on his desk, causing me to jump.
Keeping my head lowered, I shrank deeper into the chair I was sitting on.
The door of the office slammed open at that moment and I looked around to see Heihachi and Hatsu enter, their expressions panicked.
'I'm fine!' I told them, quickly, to reassure them, but it didn't have the es-counted effect.
Seizing me by my shoulders, Hatsu shouted at my face, 'Are you crazy? What took over you to take such risks? You could have died! Enough is enough! You have to stop doing that! Did you ever think of all those people who hold on to you and who'd be unhappy if something untoward happens to you? Have you ever thought about Tsunan, Heihachi, the master or me? You need to know that there are people for whom you count a lot and that if something happens to you, it'll make them suffer, and that your behavior is hurting them!'
My eyes went wide at him as I took consciousness that I have people who cared for me now, and unknowingly, I had hurt them.
Breaking into tears, I apologized to them, especially to Tsunan, 'I'm sorry. I'm really sorry.'
Hatsu released my shoulders, stepping aside, and Tsunan moved up in front of me.
'It's okay if you promise not to start again!' the doctor told me, and staring up into his eyes, I whispered, 'Yes. I promise.'
We sealed the promise with a pinky swear.
***
The next day…
'Tsunan!' called Cho Kururugi, as she walked in the door of the infirmary of the organization, but the doctor was nowhere to be seen.
His white robe was hanging on the back of his chair and on his desk was his wallet.
The temptation to open his wallet to check if there was a picture of someone- a girl- in it, was too great for the ginger-haired girl to resist it.
She supposed that the doctor was in Master Kagami's office discussing about something.
Checking if the corridor was clear, she edged closer to the desk and picked up the wallet.
Her fingers were trembling in anticipation, a lump forming in her throat.
Holding her breath, she slipped the wallet open and her mouth fell agape as she saw that there was indeed a picture in it, in which Tsunan could be seen, alongside SHUN SHUTSUKI!!!
It had the effect of a cold bath on her.
'Why- Why is there a picture of her- of them together- in his wallet?'
Her brain was working at a million miles per minute now.
Pressing her eyes shut, she balled up her fist in rage, growling, 'Shun Shutsuki!'
Removing the photo from the wallet, she closed the latter and set it back onto the desk, before she hurried downstairs and to the back of the building.
Crouching down by the swimming pool, she stared at the photo grumpily for a minute, before she tore it to pieces, grumbling, 'Don't mind me, Shun! Everything is fair in love and war! I couldn't leave this picture of you in Tsunan's wallet!'
'So, you've found this picture in Tsunan's wallet?!' came a familiar male voice from behind her, out of the blue.
The ginger-haired girl stilled and pale.
'Shi-Shirane...' she stammered, turning her head around ever slowly to stare at the latter, who had just caught her red-handed in this abominable act of jealousy.
The red-haired male was standing with his arms crossed over his chest, the shocked expression on her face seeming to amuse him.
'I'm sure Tsunan will be interested to know where the photo in his wallet has disappeared!' he said, starting to turn around.
She sprung to her feet, shouting bitterly, 'You wouldn't dare!'
He paused down to look at her. 'You think?' A crooked smile appeared on his lips then. 'I'd accept not to tell Tsunan anything if, in exchange, you accept to go out on a date with me!'
'Are you trying to blackmail me?' she roared, utterly furious. She readied her hand-fan to hit him with it, but he didn't even flinch and simply turned away, saying, in a calm and even tone, 'I think that Tsunan must be in Master Kagami's office right now!'
He began to make for the door and she stared after him for one long minute, hoping that he was only bluffing and that he'd call it off if she doesn't cede. But, she was way too scared that he wasn't bluffing at all.
She couldn't believe that she had spent hours wondering what the redheaded boy feelings for her today. It became clear as crystal for her at this precise moment that he hadn't given up on her. If he hadn't made any advances to her again, it had been for fear of her refusal. But she would never have thought that he was capable of blackmailing her to go out with him.
Gritting her teeth together and pressing her eyes shut, she called after him, 'Shirane, wait!'
She couldn't believe that she was going to give in to his abject blackmail.
Shirane came to a halt but he didn't turn to face her. 'Hm?'
From where she was, she couldn't see his expression, but she was sure that all this was definitely amusing him.
'Okay! I accept to go out with you on a date!'
He gave her a smile, but to her astonishment, there wasn't any malice in it, just triumph.
***
An hour later...
Master Kagami clapped his hand once to get everyone's attention in the hall. Apart from Ayame and Yanagi, all the members of the organization were present.
'If I have convened all of you here today, it is because I have an announcement to make!' declared the master, his tone extremely serious.
I was filled with anticipation and so, were the others.
'We're all going to the beach!' the master exclaimed, ecstatically to everyone's surprise.
'To the beach? We're right in the middle of autumn!' stated Ayame.
'It doesn't matter! My little Gakkuri has never been to the beach and her nice little daddy wants to take her to see the ocean!' he declared, squirming in excitement. 'You're all coming! You're forced to! We're going to spend three days at the Hanaori seaside resort! Ayame and Yanagi should be back from mission by tomorrow. We'll leave on the following day. It's going to be so much fun!'
Enthused, I looked at Tsunan, giving him a large grin.
***
A while later…
'Have you ever been to the beach before?' Katsuya asked me, as we were walking our way through town together.
'No. It'll be my first time,' I replied, without hiding my enthusiasm. 'And you?'
'Not my first time.'
I tapped my chin, thoughtfully, as I tried to imagine how it would be like.
Of course, it wasn't like I didn't know what the ocean and beaches resembled like; I had seen it on television. But it was going to be something else to feel the sand under my feet, not to forget the smell of saline water in the wind, the live sound of waves crashing against the coral reef, and the gigantesque stretch of blue water as far as the eyes could see!
I broke out of my reverie, suddenly, when a girl- who was coming from the opposite direction from us- caught my attention when she jerked to an abrupt stop at the sight of Katsuya.
The said-girl was of around his own age, with curly mid-back level light-brown hair and gray eyes.
The girl looked petrified.
I stared at her in puzzlement as we went across of her, before I looked at Katsuya, who was staring straight ahead.
'Do you know her?' I asked him, and he answered, 'No.'
Feeling utterly bewildered, I took a glance backward at the brown-haired girl who was standing immobile in the middle of the sidewalk.
***
In the evening…
Taking out the picture I had hidden under my mattress, I sat down onto the edge of my bed and placed the picture on my lap, before I grabbed the photo frame on the bedside table and slipped the back cover open to put the picture I had hidden, behind that of Tsunan and me, within the photo frame.
I flushed tomato red when I saw that on the back of the picture Hatsu and Heihachi had given me, there was an Ai Ai Gasa drawing with my name and that of Tsunan.
'Why are you blushing?' came the doctor's voice, out of the blue, and my head snapped up at the latter who was standing in the doorway of my bedroom.
'For-For nothing,' I stammered, putting the picture I had hidden under my mattress behind the one in the frame very swiftly, before I put the back cover of frame back into place.
'Are you ready?'
'Yes,' I said and setting the photo frame back onto the bedside table, I got up from the bed to tag along with Tsunan, my face still red.
We were headed to meet with Hatsu and Heihachi at the Ametsuchi Bar.
***
A short while later...
'Here!' I said to Heihachi, holding out to him with both hands the Emakimono Tsukumogami I had brought back to town with me. 'Its name is Emaki. After you'll have passed a contract with it, it will appear every time you take its name, to help you in your missions.'
The dark-haired boy's eyes watered.
'Oh Shun!' he whispered, moved, and Hatsu gave him a gentle punch on the head, telling him, 'Don't cry, silly! You should be thanking her!'
Swallowing back his tears, Heihachi bowed down as far as the table would allow him to, to accept the scroll yōkai with his two hands. 'Thank you infinitely, Shun!'
Straightening up, he unrolled the emakimono and his eyes brightened in admiration. 'The illustrations are magnificent!'
'Aren't they?' I giggled, pleased that he liked them too.
'Ne,' said Hatsu after a few minutes, 'Have you heard of all those serial murders there have been recently?'
Serial murders?
'Everyone is talking about it; even in the media. The police don't have any clue about the author of these crimes. The victims are all ex-convicts. The serial killer tortures and mutilates his victims to death and then, he hangs their cadavers. It sends chill down your spine!'
I shuddered.
***
Later, at the Hitachiin's family compound…
'Shun,' said Tsunan as we entered the genkan of the house and he grabbed my arm gently, causing me to stop.
I looked around, meeting his eyes.
'I don't want you to go out anywhere all alone, is that okay?'
He was worried for me. I was feeling quite anxious too.
'Alright,' I nodded.
***
The following day, I decided to do some shopping at the supermarket for the beach trip and Heihachi accompanied me.
'Hello!' came an unfamiliar voice, all suddenly, from behind me in the supermarket and I turned around to see the girl from the incident with Katsuya on the previous day.
Just like me, she was doing some shopping too.
'You're the girl I have seen with Katsuya Hattori yesterday, aren't you?' she said, her face devoid of expression.
My eyes widened at her. 'So, you know him?'
'Allow me to give you a piece of advice. It's very difficult to differentiate between someone who is kind and someone who is calculative. Better play it smart!'
On these words, she strode away and went out of sight.
I stood there for a whole minute, a bit stunned and worrying about what she could have meant.
Was she talking about Katsuya?
Heihachi returned by my side at that moment, after having found the mayonnaise.
'Who was that girl?' he asked, out of curiosity. 'Do you know her?'
Thank you for reading!
Glossary
Ai Ai Gasa - Love Love Umbrella; in Japan, the expression of love that couples draw is an Ai Ai Gasa.