With the ritual a success, a tremendous weight had flown off of everyone's shoulders. Two days after Kagutsuchi's purification, Lucrezia returned to the bowling alley in the early hours of the morning. She arrived in black jeans and a black, leather jacket draped over her shoulders like a cape, the sleeves trailing behind her as she stepped through the broken, glass door entrance.

Izanami waited for her by the row of stained glass windows, her long, raven hair tied into a messy bun.

"Thank you for waiting, Izanami. The others will be here shortly." Lucrezia said. "I'm sorry to drag you out so early in the morning. I just felt better having someone to back me up."

Izanami shook her head. "I don't mind at all. Like I said, you can come to me if you need anything. So, who are we meeting, exactly?"

Lucrezia plopped down on the seat next to Izanami. "They're sending over White Saint and Ame Belle. They'll ask us some questions, and all we have to do is not mention the fact that we tricked them. Pretend we only took down Satori's mansion in the past few days and discerned Kagutsuchi's identity soon afterwards. The shikome were brought about by Satori himself, not Kagutsuchi."

"How do we go about proving that?" Izanami asked.

Lucrezia smiled as she tapped her index finger against her temple. "Shinju already has us covered. Remember? She took the corrupted waters from the ritual and sealed them in Mizuhame's gourd. We can tell them that's how Satori was able to curse his assistants, and ultimately, himself."

"So that's why you guys held onto the gourd..." Izanami gasped.

"We thought this through over and over again. As long as they don't suspect that Kagutsuchi was ever the source of the curse, they'll have no reason nor authority to take her in."

"Still...I feel so terrible. We have to paint Satori as the villain in order for this to work. I know this is what you two agreed on...I just can't stand the thought of him being remembered as something he wasn't."

"Satori knew everything that was going to happen, even after his death. He realized that love was worth more than money or status. By doing this, we're keeping Kagu safe, and by keeping her safe, we're honoring Satori."

"...Thank you, again." Izanami said.

(Lucrezia's ruse went exactly as planned. The exorcists ended up accepting her version of events. They did have Shinju perform some examinations on Kagutsuchi, but nothing intrusive or too weird. Once they determined Kagu wasn't the source of the curse and was no longer acting as the Phantom Maiden, they said she was free to go wherever she wanted.)

(She spent the next ten days resting at our house while Aika and Rei pitched in on finding her a place to live. Aika was kind enough to give Kagutsuchi her old house. I guess she didn't need it anymore, since she was rich enough to buy a second home in Hokkaido, close to our second house.)

Afforded a home of her own, Kagutsuchi woke up that morning and prepared to leave Yoko's home. Tsukiakari packed a few clothes and toiletries in a black backpack for her, just so she'd have a few things to live comfortably in her new house. She wouldn't need much else, since the house was fully furnished with all of Aika's old stuff.

Osamu and the girls saw her off in the front yard, the sunlight beaming against the side of her face.

"You have everything? If you need money or anything at all, just call us, okay?" Izanami begged. "Try to blend in, don't cause any trouble, make good friends, but not too many guy friends, or else the girls might say nasty things about you. Oh, and pick a job you care for if you're going to work!"

"Izanami, don't lecture the girl. She gets it! She won't let you down. Right, Kagu?" Tsukiakari said.

Kagutsuchi nodded. "Yes, ma'am! I'll stay out of trouble! I promise."

"Gosh, it's so hard for a mom to let go. Give me a hug, Kagu." Izanami said.

Kagu gave one last hug to her mother, and then to Osamu and Tsukiakari. She stepped back and bowed to them.

"Thank you for everything. You guys saved my life. I'm going to put my all into living now. " Kagutsuchi said.

"Where's Yoko, anyway? She's not here to say goodbye?" Tsukiakari asked.

"Oh, no! Yoko left earlier, but she said goodbye to me." Kagtsuchi explained. "She was scary when we first met, but I can see that she's a kind and very caring woman on the inside. You're very lucky to have her."

"Yeah, we sure are. And we were lucky to meet you too." Osamu chimed.

(And in a way...I guess I can actually admit...I do feel a little lucky to have met Satori.)

"Thank you very much. I'll be leaving now. Take good care of my mother, Osamu. Oh, and if you have children, let me meet them, okay?" Kagutsuchi sang.

Osamu nodded. "Of course, Kagu. Good luck, and goodbye."

"See ya, Kagu! Keep in touch!" Tsukiakari urged.

Izanami blew kisses as she walked away. "I love you! Stay safe, honey!"

Osamu wrapped his arms around his two wives as they watched Kagutsuchi disappear down the street.

"There she goes." Izanami sighed.

"There she goes." Osamu repeated.

Tsukiakari crossed her arms and stared daggers at Osamu. "So...this whole thing has got me thinking...when are you getting us pregnant, Osamu?"

(Crap! They caught me off guard!)

"What is with this baby fever you guys have?!" Osamu recoiled.

Izanami laughed and clinged to Osamu's arm. "That's what happens when you marry a girl, Osamu! I want five of them!"

"I want ten!" Tsukiakari hissed. "Yoko wants twenty-four, so that makes thirty-nine kids!"

All of the life and color in Osamu's face faded away at the thought of thirty-nine miniature versions of him all running around the house, making a mess of everything and destroying all that he held dear. "I'm doomed..."

Tsukiakari turned her gaze skyward. "Wow, no clouds. Feels good out, too. Why don't you take a walk, Osamu? You've been cooped up in the house since we got back from the mansion."

"Yeah, that's a good idea, actually. I need to pick up some butter anyway." Osamu said.

Izanami opened the front door and held it open for him. He slipped on his navy-blue chucks and threw on his white, leather jacket and silver peace sign necklace.

"Call me if you need anything, all right?" Osamu said.

"All right babe!" Izanami sang, waving.

"Have fun!" Tsukiakari cheered.

Osamu waved goodbye and began his walk through the sun-drenched, quiet neighborhood. After the ordeal he went through, the walk was a simple, yet nice way to celebrate being done with it all. Though he enjoyed Hokkaido and the countryside, he couldn't deny that his heart was still in that sleepy, sunny Kyoto neighborhood where he lived all his life.

(Man, hard to believe everything that has happened, huh? Seriously, I've gotten myself into some wacky adventures. Maybe I should take up Yoko's point about stopping, though. I've already lost my life before and was barely saved by Izanami and Tsukuyomi. I almost died down in the Underworld.)

(Had it not been for Satori, I would still be down there. Maybe she's right...every hero has to hang up the cape. But still, the thought of sitting at home when someone is in trouble kind of bothers me. Is it possible I've gotten accustomed to danger and the thrill of cheating death? I wonder if I've developed an attachment to all of this...)

Osamu suddenly felt a kick to his groin and fell to the ground, moaning in pain. "Aw god damn it! What the hell was that?!"

"And a howdy to you too, Osamu!"

He recognized that accursed, smug voice. Who else could it have been but Rei? She wore a flowing, white dress and let her long, black hair float about in the wind.

"What is wrong with you, Rei?!" Osamu squealed.

"How about I just give you the safety word?" Rei suggested.

"This isn't a BDSM session!" Osamu growled.

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Rei licked her lips, the lusty little devil. "Oh, but it could be, Osa. I can take you places you've never been before. Someday, if we get married and I join the harem, I want to have sex right on top of the kitchen counter."

"That is highly unsanitary!" Osamu gasped.

"Hmmm, or perhaps the shower?"

"I've tried that! It's not as good as it looks!"

"Or in the recording studio, where we could record the sounds we make!"

"Rei, listen to me, even though those ideas or all highly erotic and serve as mildly attractive offers in this situation, I am obliged to decline an offer so that Yoko doesn't kill the both of us!"

Rei sighed and slumped her shoulders. "Okay, fine. I don't want to deal with that monster. Gekko and Yoko are bisexual though, right? Put in the good word for me. It doesn't have to be marriage, but let me in on the sex."

"Why are you even interested in such a thing? I thought you were straight."

"I am, but if the girl is cute enough and the head is good enough, I don't think I'd mind."

"Please...no more erotic images in my head. It's a gateway to life-scarring fan-fiction..."

"By the way, asswipe, I don't recall you ever thanking me helping you out of that huge clusterfuck back at the mansion!" Rei scorned.

Osamu bowed to Rei as if she were an omnipotent deity. "Oh Rei, the exalted one, please forgive my lack of thanks! I am forever in your debt for saving us!"

"Oh? Really? Are you truly thankful?"

"Of course I am!"

Rei lifted up her dress, revealing her white, slim underwear, complete with a small, pink ribbon at the top.

(Puffy...)

"Kiss it. Through the underwear." Rei commanded.

"W-wait a minute, Rei! I can't do that."

"Oh well, guess I'll just have to have Lucrezia make another doll so I can stab you to death. What a shame. You've grown to be such a very likable protagonist, too."

"Okay, I'll kiss it!"

Rei wasn't actually expecting him to do it, but Osamu climbed beneath her dress and planted a kiss right through the underwear. Her entire face turned red with excitement and embarrassment.

"You madman!" Rei gasped. "You depraved, degenerate lunatic! You actually did it! I don't know whether to be proud or appalled!"

Rei smiled and patted Osamu's head. "Thanks for kissing it. What a good boy you are. I suppose I'll let you go now. Carry on, brave protagonist. "

"Huh? Where are you going? Want to walk with me?" Osamu asked.

"Really? Well, I can't deny you after you committed such a shameful act in public. I suppose I should be considerate and humor you, poor fool."

"Yeah, I'll take that as a yes." Osamu said.

And so, Osamu had a partner on his walk.

"How rare of you to invite someone on one of your walks. Are you trying to seduce me?"

"Of course not, idiot. I just figured I'd get you out of the house. I'm sure I'm doing Aika a favor." Osamu teased. "You know, you always pretended not to care about me or anyone when we met again, but you're actually a very thoughtful person, aren't you?"

"Y-yeah, what of it? Helping others is a virtue!" Rei protested.

"Are you really concerned with being virtuous?! Who are you and what have you done with the real Rei?!"

"She's right here and you kissed her private parts just a little while ago! Don't make me spill the beans about that, you little cunt!"

"H-hey, that's top secret! You understand?! That's classified intelligence!"

Osamu and Rei suddenly heard noise from around the corner. They walked around and saw Akatsuki trying to shoo away a raccoon perched atop Omagatoki's head. It was a cute, albeit strange sight indeed.

"Ak-k-katsuki! Get it off!" Omagatoki cried.

"I'm trying! Shoo! Go away! Shoo!" Akatsuki roared.

The raccoon was obstinate. It had made Omagatoki's head its new kingdom.

"I liked the penguins better! They were mean but at least they listened!" Omagatoki chided.

"Shoku Cuties!" Osamu shouted, scaring the raccoon away in an instant.

"Big Brother Osamu! You saved me!" Omagatoki gasped.

"I helped too." Akatsuki mumbled.

"It's all thanks to you, Osamu!" Omagatoki continued.

"I helped too." Akatsuki repeated.

Omagatoki ran into Osamu's arm, embracing her 'big brother' with a warm hug. "Where would I be without you?"

"I exist too." Akatsuki lamented.

"What are you two doing out here?" Rei asked.

"Sis wanted to take a stroll, but ended up attracting a furry creature to her noggin. " Akatsuki explained.

"You two truly are something. We're taking a stroll too, so why don't you come along?" Osamu offered.

"Oh, really! That sounds lovely!" Omagatoki sang. "Let's go!"

And so, there were four.

"Osamu, are you and Rei going out?" Omagatoki asked.

"Of course not. Why did you ask?"

"Because she looks really pretty and you were both walking alone." Omagatoki explained.

Omagatoki gasped, her face reddening. "W-w-were you doing 'sex' stuff?! Like holding hands?!"

(Holding hands is nowhere near having sex, Omagatoki...)

"Please excuse her. It's none of our business what you two are up to." Akatsuki interjected.

"No, no, really. We were just taking a walk." Rei laughed.

"Chill out, Omagatoki. You're too young to be talking about things like that." Osamu scolded.

"I-I will have you know I'm hundreds of years old! Sis and I were just little girls when we died, that's all!" Omagatoki corrected.

(Oh, that's right. Gekko mentioned something like that. God, that's morbid. Well, at least they're just happy little kids now.)

Shinju suddenly came out of the alleyway and ended up bumping into the group. "Oi, Osamu!"

Osamu held his hand over his heart and sighed in relief upon seeing her familiar face. "Hey Shinju, how's it going? Wait, what were you doing in that alleyway?"

"Oh, that!" Shinju chuckled. "I was actually cutting through there to try and get home. I just got back from stopping some crooks who tried to steal an old lady's cat and sell it on the black market."

"There's a black market for cats?" Osamu asked.

Shinju nodded. "There's a black market for everything, Osamu."

"Well, uh...we're all just taking a stroll. Why not come with us?"

"Hmm? Sure, I suppose it's all right. We're heading in the direction of my house anyway."

And then there was one more. Osamu definitely wasn't expecting to have four people join him on his early afternoon stroll, but he couldn't complain. Being with everyone was a lovely experience.

"Shinju, were you paid for stopping the cat thief?" Rei questioned.

"Nope. That's volunteer work. I just felt like stopping him."

"You really should be a police officer, Shinju." Osamu said.

"But then I wouldn't be able to run around in a poncho and underwear. Uniforms just aren't my style. I like to be free, you know? Feel the breeze between my legs."

"I hate you guys so much for putting these images in my head." Osamu groaned.

"What? That's not even inherently sexual. You're jumping at shadows, Osamu." Shinju warned.

Shadows of butts and panties! You're losing it! You're losing control!"

(Am I?! My Nordic God, I think I am!)

"It's just a symptom of actually having a harem." Osamu said. "What I really need are some cool guy friends to hang out with. Being around women all the time can be kind of taxing on a man's perceptions."

A shadow loomed over Osamu. When he turned his eyes skyward, he saw Yoko dropping down from the roof of the nearby house like a jaguar ready to kill. She took hold of Osamu and scared the other girls as she howled and roared at them.

"What do you think you're all doing?! Do you want to die?! You want to die, don't you?!" Yoko shouted. "How dare you! No one gave you permission to be within ten feet of Osamu! Back away, all of you! I'll slice open your stomachs and feed you your own intestines if you dare touch him!"

Yoko smelled Osamu, just to make sure his sacred body was not tainted by their flowery scents. "You're lucky. Today, you live."

"Sorry, Yoko! We were just all going for a walk." Rei explained.

"Yeah, that's all!" Omagatoki assured.

Akatsuki nodded. "Sis tells the truth."

"I actually almost thought you were a rabid animal just now." Shinju mumbled.

"Well then, you can all go home now. The walk is over." Yoko said. "Go ahead. Walk home. If you do it now, I promise I won't stick the back of your head with a shuriken."

"Y-you wouldn't dare!" Rei stammered.

Yoko locked eyes with Rei and gave her a nasty scowl. "Do you really want to test me, Rei?"

"Well, it was nice walking with you, Osamu!" Rei laughed. "Catch you later! Gotta go!"

"See ya, Osa!" Shinju sang.

"I totally forgot, me and Sis have errands to run! Bye, Osamu!" Omagatoki said, dragging Akatsuki with her.

And then, there was only Yoko.

"Well? What was the point of scaring them all off like that?" Osamu asked.

"Osamu, come with me."

(Huh?)

Yoko took Osamu down the street, saying nothing along the way. She led him through the crosswalk and a little further downtown, towards the promenade paved with green and white bricks.

The promenade was lined with shops on both sides, everything from stationery shops to jewelry stores. Yoko stopped at one of the clothing stores and pointing to the large window sign out front, depicting a baby girl with a knit ribbon on her head. There was a massive sale on baby clothes, seventy percent off, in fact.

"Okay?" Osamu said, confused. "So, you want me to buy you baby clothes or something?"

Yoko balled her fists as her face turned red. She looked awfully pained, as if she was about to cry. The two awkwardly stared at each other for a minute until Osamu finally understood the message.

"Osamu! I want a baby!" Yoko shouted for everyone to hear.

Though the other girls had teased Osamu about having children, this clearly wasn't Yoko's intent. If she just wanted to tease him about, she would've done it right on the spot. She wouldn't have gone through the effort of shooing away the other girls and coming down to the promenade.

Osamu saw in her face that Yoko had spend a long time thinking about this, contemplating it, trying to figure out how to ask him. She worried about it so much that it brought her to tears. Her usual smug tone of voice was nowhere to be found. She sounded nervous and almost sad. She made no effort to guard herself.

"In the near future, can we start trying? I'd be honored to have your children." Yoko said. "I'll love them with everything I have. I'll shelter them and make sure they grow up to be intelligent thinkers. I'll instill the values of hard work early on, and have them search for activities and hobbies they enjoy so that they can easily decide what they want to do when they grow up.

“I'll cuddle with them and wish them good morning and goodnight. I'd give my life for them if I had to! So, even though I'm already the happiest woman alive being with you...I'd be even happier being the mother of your children. Please, Osamu."

"....Uhhh....." Osamu said.

"Is that all you have to say? I just spilled my heart to you, you dick!" Yoko growled.

"No! That's not what I meant! I was just blown away by everything you said."

Osamu took Yoko's hands and looked her in the eye. "Yoko, I think we're ready. I don't know the first thing about parenthood, so I'm sure I'll be kind of useless for a little while. Though, Izanami has had a ton of children before, so maybe she can help us out."

"So...that means..."

Osamu nodded. "Yes. Let's have a baby, Yoko."

Yoko's face lit up with joy. She squealed with glee as she jumped into Osamu's arms and hugged him tightly. "You have no idea how long I've wanted to hear that! I love you, Osamu! I really, really love you!"

"Okay, okay! I get it! I love you too, Yoko!" Osamu laughed.

Yoko dropped down and tried to contain her excitement. Cleared her throat and dusted herself off, but her lively smiled remained carved on her face. "I'm sure the others want babies too, but you have to do conceive with me first!"

"Okay, I understand. You get the first dibs."

(So, this is what it feels like to know you'll be a father soon. I think, even decades down the line, I'll be able to recall this moment as one of the happiest moments of my life.)

"Osamu. Close your eyes."

"Huh? Why?"

"Come on, just do it!"

"Haha! All right, all right, I'll close them."

Osamu closed his eyes and waited for whatever was to come.

(Hey...what do you think I felt on my lips in that moment?)

Yoko placed her hands on Osamu's cheeks and kissed him, right then and there. Their kiss garnered a few whistles and a round of applause from the others walking through the promenade. It probably looked to them as if Yoko had said yes to a proposal. That actually wasn't too far off from the truth.

(It was more than a kiss. It was like a written letter, sent to me by her lips. It read ‘Stay with me forever, and let's build heaven on earth.’ And so, that's exactly what I will do. With the women that have stolen my heart, I'm going to raise a family. I'll make one that's bigger and better than the one I had. I couldn't ask for anything better.)