After reconciling with Mr. Shinya, he suggested she need not prepare dinner every night, only whenever she had the time. Still, she didn't find herself entirely idle.
That weekend, while organizing her class notes, she heard a knock at the door.
"Seimei, could you get the door?" She was just a few lines away from finishing typing up her notes and wanted to wrap it up quickly before losing her train of thought.
"You really know how to put people to work."
Seimei lay on her bed, leafing through a poetry collection she'd recently gifted him. Though he muttered complaints, he still set aside the book and got up to answer the door.
Although he could have opened the door with a spell, doing so would have drained Haruko's spiritual energy, leaving her exhausted. For that reason, he handled such small tasks himself whenever possible.
It was Kogimi at the door, carrying a sizable stack of old-looking books that appeared to be ancient artifacts. Seimei opened the door wider and gestured for him to come inside.
"No, I won't intrude. It would be improper to enter a single woman's room," Kogimi replied, casting a skeptical look at Seimei as if to suggest he was little better than a rogue.
"Oh, Mr. Kogimi, please do come in. I apologize for the mess." Haruko had just closed her laptop, and she scurried to find a cushion for Kogimi to sit on.
Originally, there had only been one cushion in the room, but after Seimei moved in, she had bought a second one. In hindsight, she wished she had purchased a few more.
"She's invited you, so please, come in." Seimei relieved Kogimi of the books and placed them on the round table in the center of the room, then resumed lounging on Haruko's bed. "Have you managed to gather the other scrolls I asked for?"
Seeing how freely Haruko and Seimei welcomed him into her private space, Kogimi couldn't help but think that, truly, they must share the same bloodline. Following their cue, he removed his shoes, sat on the cushion Haruko had set for him, and waited patiently for her to make tea.
"I've brought all that I could, though it took quite some time. You can come by my room to pick up the rest. However, I had trouble deciding on some texts for Miss Haruko, so since you're here, I hoped you might offer some guidance."
Haruko noticed her name mentioned in their conversation, though she had no idea what they were discussing. She hadn't realized the two of them had grown so close, even meeting when she wasn't around.
"While you're away at school, I spend my time in Kogimi's room reading." Seimei flipped through the books Kogimi had brought, books whose scripts seemed like a mixture of Japanese and Chinese—she couldn't quite tell.
"Books? But I've been buying books for you, haven't I?"
She had spent quite a while choosing books she thought he might like, such as the Collection of Heian Period Waka.
"Haruko, come here."
Seimei propped himself up and motioned for her to come closer. Thinking he was about to explain the contents of the book he was holding, she leaned in eagerly.
To her surprise, he flicked her forehead with a light "pop."
"Fool. All the books you bought are love poems. What use do I have for those?"
She rubbed her forehead, feeling as though her effort had been entirely in vain. If he didn't like them, he could have just said so…
"Miss Haruko, these are the materials Mr. Abe requested I find for you, containing information about various yokai." Kogimi laid the books out and began explaining each one to Haruko. "This set here is quite factual, with comprehensive details, though they're handwritten, so the script may be a bit hard to read. These others are more imaginative, so they're best used as supplementary material."
"Seimei requested these for me?"
Haruko looked over to Seimei, who seemed to have already tired of the book he was reading. With the book resting on his face, he replied from behind it.
"It wouldn't do for a descendant of mine to be entirely ignorant of yokai."
She made a silly face at him, which Kogimi noticed with a smile. He had initially worried that they might not get along, but it seemed his concerns were unwarranted.
"Thank you, Mr. Kogimi, and you too, Seimei!"
"Hmm. Count it on the tab. I'll expect hand-rolled sushi and yudofu!"
"Alright, alright, I'll make it for you!"
Though she and Seimei shared a room, they hardly ever disturbed each other. Occasionally they would chat and share thoughts, but most of the time, they each kept to their own activities. It was likely for this reason that they hadn't tired of each other.
"Mr. Kogimi, if there's anything you'd like to eat, please feel free to let me know as well!"
Though touched by Haruko's consideration, Kogimi felt a pang of guilt. Though he wasn't the cause of her struggles, he had been watching as her spiritual power grew each day, knowing the pain she endured, yet only able to offer these small gestures of help. He did have the power to reseal her spiritual energy, but he needed her power fully unleashed.
For now, the least he could do was make her daily life a little brighter.
"Miss Haruko, I was thinking of organizing a cherry blossom viewing soon. I'll prepare a bento, so if there's anything you'd like to have, let me know."
At his suggestion, Haruko's eyes sparkled with surprise, and she quickly waved her hand.
"Oh, it's no problem at all! I can make the bento myself! You don't have to go through any trouble, Mr. Kogimi."
Kogimi laughed softly, realizing that his cooking skills clearly didn't inspire much confidence. Though he had read hundreds of culinary books, his results always seemed far removed from their instructions.
"Rest assured, Miss Haruko, by 'prepare the bento,' I mean I'll order it from an authentic teahouse."
"Oh, that's wonderful!" She patted her chest in relief before realizing her rudeness. "My apologies…"
"No need to apologize. Truthfully, my cooking is indeed inedible." Kogimi glanced at her schedule posted on the wall, then inquired, "Next Saturday evening at seven. We'll meet at the restaurant and head out to view the cherry blossoms by night. Will that be alright?"
"That sounds perfect! If there's anything I can help with, please just say the word."
"There is one thing you can do for me, Miss Haruko."
"Please, tell me!"
"Next Saturday, enjoy yourself. That's all."
She smiled and gave her chest a light tap, readily agreeing.
"Leave it to me!"
Seeing Haruko's excitement, Kogimi felt his efforts to create this outing hadn't been in vain. After thanking her for the tea, he prepared to return to his room.
"Then, Mr. Kogimi, I'll read through these books and return them to you as soon as possible."
"There's no rush on that."
In truth, he hoped she would read through them promptly, as a basic understanding of yokai lore would enable them to proceed to the next step of their plan.
But he wouldn't pressure her. With most of her spiritual seals still intact, they had a little time. He wanted to give her as much room to adjust as possible. "How about this: once you've finished, I'll tell you my true nature and even reveal my real name. What do you think?"
"It's a deal!" Haruko could hardly believe it.
To her, Mr. Kogimi was always courteous and gentlemanly, but he kept an air of mystery that felt almost impenetrable. She had assumed the details of his background would remain hidden forever; she never imagined he would be willing to share them with her.
Reclining on the bed, Seimei couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. He knew that Kogimi had just made a significant gesture. Although Seimei was aware of what type of yokai Kogimi was, even he did not know Kogimi's true name. Even Shinya had been bound by a spell that prevented him from revealing it.
Kogimi, clearly feeling the pressure, was playing his cards. But so far, he hadn't forced anything on Haruko. It seemed he genuinely wanted to protect her.
Before leaving, Kogimi met Seimei's gaze, and the two exchanged a nod of mutual understanding before he gently closed the door behind him.