Two Hundred And Thirteen

Two Hundred And Thirteen

It was early Monday morning when we returned to the Material, all of our tasks in the Boundary and at what was left of the mansion now completed. The sobbing maids had still been protesting as they were tied up and taken away by Ulfuric and some of the weaselkin, begging Shaeula to protect them, but as she merely looked on, eyes watery, I held her hand, reassuring her everything would be all right.

There’s no way I can forgive them for what they did, betraying Shaeula and her trust like that. Even if they weren’t involved in the plot to kill her, I still can’t forgive them. I don’t know what fate they’ll face when her father gets his hands on them, but I doubt it’ll be pretty. Ulfuric was going to have to be quite careful with what he said to Prince Shaetanao, but if anyone could handle matters it was him. Besides, if there were other traitors embedded within the weaselkin servants, this was an opportunity to find them. I was sure the prince would spare no efforts in making them talk.

Yawning, I opened my eyes, stretching muscles left stiff and sore by my long stay in the Astral, the longest single trip I had taken yet. Shaeula woke beside me too, still looking downcast, so I ruffled her hair messily, conveying my affection once more. “Cheer up. I know it hurts, but you have me now. And all your other friends here. One of whom really needs our help right now, so you have no time to mope. Just let me spoil you. I’ll do whatever it takes until you can smile without sadness again.”

“Oh, Akio.” She sighed, embracing me and pulling me back down onto the bed. “I must have been born to meet you, for you always-always know just what to say to comfort me.” Our lips sought each other greedily, and I reached out for the obi belt of her yukata and tugged it free, exposing her flushed body. There’s still time until morning, we can’t do much now, anyway... So with that last thought I gave myself over to passion, seeking to overwrite the sadness in her heart with warmth...

********

“I love you too. Bye.” I said, hanging up my early-morning call with Aiko and Eri. “It worked.” I said to Shaeula. “Aiko can get a little stronger, at least, and she’s going to try for light and fire elements. I don’t know if she’ll succeed, but I’d feel more reassured if she had those to fall back on.” I’ve glossed over just how I’m powering up Aiko, I don’t want to tell Shaeula it’s via Lovers’ Link or she’ll mock me endlessly, but I think she knows...

“Yes, I suppose if she fails, we can simply-simply reclaim the mirror from Eri and refill it, though having Eri practise her darkness element is a worthy cause too.”

Shaeula was looking a little brighter after our lovemaking, so I made us both a pleasant breakfast, more western-style than normal, with eggs, cuts of meat and fried toast, as well as sweet pancakes. Like something mom would make to cheer up Aiko and me when we were feeling down as kids. Shaeula enjoyed it, which made the extra effort worthwhile, and while she was cleaning up the dishes, I made a call to the next person I needed to speak to.

“Good morning to you, Akio!” Hinata greeted me brightly. “This is a pleasant surprise, to have you call me in the morning. I trust you received our messages then?”

“Yeah. Thanks for taking charge of the situation, I really appreciate it. Shaeula’s having a tough time right now, so if her friend was to come to harm too, it’d be bad.”

“Think nothing of it.” Hinata said, and I could hear the pride and joy in her voice. “A good wife is always thinking of how to support her husband, on that the nobility and Shaeula both agree. So, is she all right?” she asked, and I reassured her she was well.

“Yeah, she’ll get through it. We’re here for her. But wounds to the heart from betrayal are often worse than physical injuries. We’ve healed those up already. We also lost a gift from her brother, which stings.”

“I see. You’ll have to tell me more about it later.” Hinata said. “Please pass on my sympathies. Was there anything else you wanted? Not that you need a reason to call me, of course. We are engaged, officially now, the news is out!”

And so my fate is sealed. But... right now it doesn’t seem so bad. She’s cute and cheerful, and Shaeula is right about one thing. If I saw her married off to a man that didn’t treat her right just because of the nobility, I’d feel rotten. I’m such a greedy bastard... “Well, there’s a lot to organise, and my parents are pretty mad, so... well, that’s for later.” Yeah, Konoe-san, the Myconids, Sorting out our Territory and rooting out traitors all come first. “I wanted to thank you for looking into that land for me. Is... is it expensive?”

“Some of it was almost free, as we listened to your description of how your power works and managed to call in a few favours with local politicians to get a token ownership deal. As for the last one... well it wasn’t cheap, but supporting you with money is the least I can do, and grandfather contributed significantly. He told me to tell you he wants to see return on that investment though!” She laughed merrily.

“No problem. Speaking of, will you be at the training school tonight?” I asked, and she said she would be, so I continued. “Great. Well, this is a bit hard to say, but... if you can handle a bit of pain, I believe tonight we can perfect your chakra network like we did for Kana. It’ll still require you to work hard to grow it, but I think the boost should be well worth it.”

“I’m not keen on pain, but...” she sighed, resolute. “... I do not wish to have Kana lording it over me any longer. After all, she isn’t one of your fiancées. I’ll do it. Kazumi too. If I am entering that world alongside you, Kazumi must be there beside me.”

“Yeah, I think we can manage two.” I grinned. “Assuming we finished up our troublesome little problem of course. Oh, by the way... this invitation to Fujiwara Miyu’s house at the weekend. That’s a big deal, right?”

“It is indeed. I do need to find out more details, such as the dress code, who is attending, what gifts to bring, many important matters. But I’ll handle that, you just worry about your own problems. I am not a girl who makes trouble for her husband.” I imagined her smiling. “Even so, I’m nervous. I’ve been to visit Mayumi many times, and Sakura is my cousin, but Miyu-sama is very quiet and keeps to herself. Still, she’s the oldest daughter of Fujiwara house, even if she is behind the line of succession to Honoka-sama. I can’t help but be nervous and wonder what she wants.” Her voice wavered, before she shrugged it off, her natural cheerfulness coming back. “In any case, it could open doors for you. Being known to have been invited by Miyu-sama will make the nobility more conscious of you and perhaps even win a little respect.”

“Well, I’ll be relying on you to stop me from screwing up my high-society debut. As my fiancée.” I finally said it out loud, and there was a long moment of silence, before she shyly asked me what was on her mind.

“So, you accept me? I was worried that you thought we were too forceful, and you only agreed to spare my feelings. I can live with a marriage of convenience, the noble way, where we are merely useful to each other, but... having met Shaeula, and Eri, and seeing what they have, I want love too. If I can.” Her voice was tense, her breathing fast, as she waited for my answer. There was no way I could lie.

Considering how clever and brash she is, I forget she’s a young girl, younger than Eri. She must be nervous and insecure too. I need to be the mature adult here. Besides... “Well, I’m not going to lie, you did push me into it. It was sudden and shocking, and I still have this feeling of inadequacy inside me that makes me wonder why me? But you are a kind, smart girl, and Shaeula and Eri say they’ll accept you, so I can too. I’m not going to say something again like ‘if you find someone else you can...’”

“Good, don’t.” she interrupted me. “I told you. I’ve made my choice.”

“Yeah, I get that. Well I’ve made mine too. No matter how it started, how we were pushed together, if you are going to give it your all to love me, to get along with Shaeula, Eri, my sister and family, well, I can do no less than return the favour, and if anyone asks me, I’ll tell them proudly that I bagged Fukumoto Hinata, the girl who is going to shake the very nobility itself!” This time I’m not going with the flow. It’s not how things start, but how they end, and I want this ending to be a happy one.

“I’m glad.” She whispered, and I could hear her sniffling gently, so I gave her a minute to recover. “Good, good. Now that you’ve realised my worth, there was one more thing.” She hesitated. “I hope I haven’t overstepped my bounds, but as I said before, I want to use all my knowledge and talent for you. So I tied up all the participants in your training with proper contracts, making sure they can’t cheat you. Oh, and I’ve done the same with your staff. You’ll need to have a talk with them, bring them up to speed, but Karen-san at least is worth keeping, I think.”

“I see.” Yeah, I had planned to tell Karen-chan about this and offer her training too, once she was settled and had got over her last employer and his vile harassment. As for the possibility of me being betrayed or cheated by those I’m training, Shaeula’s servants prove that isn’t impossible. No, it could even be likely.

Detective Kato nodded slowly. “Very well. I’ll keep hands-off as much as I can when it comes to your choices. But if you intend for me to support you in dealing with supernatural crimes, you have to show me I can work with you. My gratitude will only carry you so far, if you become criminals yourselves.”

I nodded, and we discussed a few more details of the plan, until Shaeula had finally calmed down Konoe-san. “I... thank you.” She sniffled, eyes and nose red from crying. “I just don’t get why you are helping me so much. I took money from you when we barely know each other. I’m not a good friend at all!”

Shaeula stiffened, annoyance flashing in her amber eyes. “What does-does the length of time we have spent together matter?” She was angry, and Konoe-san flinched back. “If I say you are my friend, then you are-are my friend! And I would not-not forsake any friend of mine! Barely know each other...” she growled. “The length of time I have spent with Akio is but a fraction of our entire lives, yet I love him deeply and shall never part from him. Length of time means-means nothing! It is the bonds, the emotions, that matter!”

Officer Usui let out a long whistle, face red, and Detective Kato barked a laugh. “That’s one hell of a brag there. You must be ever so happy she thinks so highly of you.”

“Oh I am. And I don’t disagree. Shaeula’s been starved of friendship most of her life, and those she thought were... turned out to be bad people. She understands what it is to be tricked, so she is more eager than ever to solve this.”

“Akio is right. I too-too have been betrayed by those close to me. I would not-not allow you to suffer as I have!”

“But...” Konoe-san looked at me then. “You say you love him? What about the other woman?”

Yeah, that’s a normal reaction. I’ve almost forgotten those, the strange circles I’ve been moving in recently. Before I could answer, Shaeula shrugged. “Other female? You mean Eri, or Hinata?”

“How can you trust him, when he’s cheating on you! He might be as bad as those...” a loud clap rang out, and Konoe-san found herself clutching her reddening cheek. Shaeula had not struck her hard, but even so, she teared up.

“How dare-dare you compare my Akio to thieving scum that would force females into selling themselves. Eri is as a sister to me, and Hinata is not-not a bad girl. Far better to have some of the love of the greatest of males, rather than be lonely, bitterly regretting. Akio has never-never let me down, and he will not-not start now. I will not-not hear this, even from you!”

“All right, calm down ladies. We are straying from the point.” Detective Kato took charge, probably well used to domestic disputes. “You shouldn’t hit a woman.” He warned Shaeula, and she scoffed.

“I barely touched Ichika, it was merely-merely gentle chastisement. But some things can not-not be laughed off.”

“I’m sorry.” Konoe-san whispered. “I... I just feel so angry right now, angry and scared. It’s men who put me in this situation. I haven’t forgotten how you saved me from those thugs. Twice. And I am grateful, but... I’m lost. I don’t know what to do!”

At the murmurs of “I knew it!” from the Detective at mention of the thugs, that reminded me. “Yeah, those thugs? Were they part of the gang that is blackmailing and extorting you?” I asked, and she shook her head.

“Not really, though I think they might have been put on to scare me a bit. Either that or I’m really unlucky.” She sniffled, still rubbing at her cheek.

“I see. So they may have other connections.” I mused. “Well, lending money at more than twenty-nine percent is a crime right? Without written contracts it might be difficult to prove, but bank statements listing payments in and out should be indicative, and they probably have legitimate account books somewhere. Running prostitution is definitely a crime, when the girls are coerced.”

“Yes, but proving all this is the hard part.” Officer Usui chimed in. “I’d love to take these scum down, who knows how many other women they’ve ensnared, but it won’t be easy.”

“Well, this is where we work together.” I grinned. “Look, recordings are submissible evidence in Japan, right? Well, I got Karen-chan to send someone down to Akihabara to pick up a load of hidden cameras and microphones. It may be an anime mecca there now, but there are still some great tech shops if you know where to look.” Ixitt was probably a pain, but he knows better than to cause me trouble if he wants to come back here. “We can use those, and a bit of gentle work from Shaeula, and gather all the evidence we need.”

“It might be dangerous.” Konoe-san warned. “They... they are scary men. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“Nonsense.” Shaeula scoffed. “Akio and I, hurt by some mere thugs? I am almost-almost offended.”

“Yes, I don’t think you need to worry about that.” Detective Kato said, a wry smile on his face as he remembered the battle at the shrine. “Unless they bring a tank, he’ll be fine. The girl too. Even if they have that sort of firepower, I’m still not sure it’d be enough.”

“Don’t remind me.” Officer Usui shuddered. “The pair of them are monsters.”

“Yes, but we are good monsters!” I protested. Still, I projected confidence to Konoe-san, reassuring her. “Just leave it to us and we’ll handle it. I don’t know if we can get back your money, but we can at least leave you free from this burden. So, here’s the plan...”

As I outlined the audacious plan, Konoe-san looked at me, first with an expression of worry, then shock, then puzzlement, and last, a slight sense of hope. Shaeula is right. It doesn’t matter how long you know someone, it’s what you’ve shared, how you feel. Thinking about it that way, I really don’t feel too bad about Hinata anymore. I had made up my mind before, but now I actually feel good about it. I remembered her smile, alternating between shy and prideful, her eyes gleaming as she talked about her dreams and hopes for the future. I want to be there when she finally creates the world she wants to see. I think it’ll be a wonderful one. After all, the girls in the nobility are trapped too. I wouldn’t dare be so crass as to compare it to the horrible cruelty the other girls who were tricked like Konoe-san are subjected to, but the whole system doesn’t sit right with me. And if I have power... I don’t have to let things that upset me slide anymore, do I?

“I can do that. It shall be my pleasure.” Shaeula grinned wolfishly. “I should very much like to meet-meet these women who betrayed you!” She told Konoe-san, who nodded slowly. As Konoe-san opened up her phone and typed a message to one of the women that had initially sold her the worthless art, I considered something else.

Hyacinth. What to do about her. I know Shaeula made her that promise, but I’m not going to follow through on that just because Shaeula asked me to. After Hinata, I resolved myself to be stronger. But... I definitely feel bad for her, and she’s pretty endearing, in a crazy pervert sort of way. Oh well, it isn’t a decision I need to make now. But I’m definitely going to give it some thought...

No, now was the time to deal with this mess. Clenching my fist, I resolved to take out my confusion on the bastards that were hurting women here. it was good not to have to think difficult thoughts, to have a clear path of right and wrong before me. And if all goes well, I’ll take the first step in showing the police how crime needs to be handled under the new world that’s coming...