Chihiro’s home turned out to be a low, rambling old place, that had evidently started life as a farm house and been expanded, added on to and modernised until there were only hints of the original structure. It was a sprawling, hodge-podge of different buildings all smooshed together and sprinkled with carvings and art. There were various wind-chimes at almost every door, and the shutters on the windows were gaily painted although no two matched.
Shoko loved it at first sight!
Chihiro called out as she was changing her shoes for indoor slippers.
“I’m home! I brought a couple of friends with me Mother!”
As Chihiro passed Shoko and Tomiso guest slippers to wear indoors and stowed their outside shoes in a pair of cubby holes in the long rack by the front door, Chihiro’s mother appeared at the end of the long corridor that went from front to back through the house.
“Oh! Hello there! Make yourselves at home. Chihiro, dinner will be ready soon, why don’t you show your guests your room in the meantime, or there’s the family room if you’d prefer.”
Shoko blinked, surprised at the lack of reaction.
“Umm.. hello, Mrs Kitsyōna. I’m Shoko…”
Chihiro’s mother crouched so she was looking eye to eye with the much smaller kitsune.
“Hello Shoko, welcome. I’m glad my little fox cub’s made a new friend, she can be a little shy..”
“Moooom!”
“Oh hush little cub… you know it’s true.”
Chihiro sighed and nodded.
“I know, but you don’t have to tell everyone!”
The tall red haired woman chuckled, her face crinkling around her eyes and the corners of her mouth. Turning her attention back to Shoko she smiled.
“Hope you don’t mind, but we do tease each other a little in this family.. oh, and please, Call me Anui if you prefer…”
She stood up and turned her attention to Tomiso who was hanging back, looking a little lost and hesitant.
“Well, my my, who’s this handsome young man?”
Tomiso blushed, but bowed and stammered out.
“Pleased to meet you, I’m Tomiso Sato.”
Anui bowed politely in return.
“It’s our pleasure to have you here.”
Tomiso hesitated, his face scrunching up in scowl.
“I apologise, I didn’t bring a guest gift…”
Anui smiled again, something she seemed to do a lot Shoko thought, and patted Tomiso on the head.
“That’s alright, we’re not that formal here, and your presence is gift enough. Now then, now that we’ve introduced ourselves, please do come in. I’ll bring you all some juice and cookies to hold the wolves at bay until dinner is ready.”
Once they were in Chihiro’s room, sitting around the low table on cushions Tomiso looked between Chihiro and Shoko, before asking.
“Um… Chihiro, is your mother always like that?”
“Like what?” Chihiro replied warily.
Tomiso shrugged, trying to put into polite words what he meant to ask.
“She’s… she’s… I dunno. She didn’t even blink when she saw Shoko!”
Chihiro giggled.
“Well why would she? I mean yokai and Inari have been in the news for weeks now… everyone knows about Shoko now. Although, I think if I had come home with a kitsune even before anyone knew about yokai being real, she wouldn’t have reacted any different. That’s just who she is. Nothing flusters her.”
Tomiso stared at Chihiro for a long second or two, and then sighed, looking down.
“I think I like your mother Chihiro. She smiles like she means it.”
Chihiro frowned at Tomiso in concern.
“That’s because she does… doesn't yours?”
Tomiso shook his head slowly, but didn’t elaborate because at that moment Chihiro’s mother knocked on the door, and entered carrying a tray baring a plate of assorted biscuits, glasses and two pitchers, one of juice and one of barley tea.
Once Anui had left, an awkward silence filled the air, filled with unspoken questions. Eventually Shoko sighed a little and asked.
“Do you like video games Chihiro?”
Chihiro sat up a little straighter and nodded.
“I do yes… I have a console or my PC to play on. What about you Tomiso?”
Tomiso nodded. Shoko smiled slightly.
“I got playing when Aimi-chan showed me how. Um… don’t freak too much, but she’s a ghost, she used to haunt the toilet of the supermarket, because it used to be girls school and that’s where she died..”
Tomiso’s eyes went wide in alarm, as he blurted out.
“Wait… you’re friends with Hanako-san?!”
Shoko nodded then out her finger to her lips.
“Shh.. don’t call her that! It’s a mean name. But yes, that’s what people used to call her.”
Tomiso looked at Shoko..
“But… she’s a ghost? And she can’t hear us...can she?”
Both Tomiso and Chihiro looked around nervously, as if a ghostly specter would pop out form the wall at any moment. Shoko giggled.
“Your faces! Nooo… she can’t hear us. Only Paul-sama can summon her because he bound her. But it’s not nice to call people by mean names behind their backs. Also, you can slip up and accidentally say it when they can hear you. That would hurt her feelings and she’s a friend and a fellow band member in Yokai Metal.”
Tomiso and Chihiro stared at Shoko with wide eyes, as Shoko shrugged.
“When people aren’t being mean to her, she’s really very nice.”
Tomiso shook his head.
“Ok… but how does a ghost play video games?”
“Very well...Ha! No, she has to be bit careful because if she touches the controls it makes it go wrong, or it used to. She has gloves now that Paul-sama came up with. She even has a smart phone now!”
Chihiro blinked, looking like she wasn’t sure to believe Shoko or not..
“Okayyy… what sort of games does Ha...Aimi-san play, and for that matter what do you like?”
Shoko smiled slightly.
“Oh, she likes first person shooter games, Ghost Patrol, Black Ops three.. those are the ones she’s playing at the moment. I prefer ones where you get to explore and run and jump.”
Tomiso grinned.
“Sounds like you in real life Shoko… and I guess horror games would be too much like work for her?”
Shoko shook her head.
“No but….umm.. Promise not to tell anyone?”
The other two nodded, agog to hear what Shoko had to say..
“Well, Aimi-chan hates horror games and films.. they scare her.”
Both Tomiso and Chihiro leaned back, almost identical looks of disbelief on their faces.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
“Noooo…”
“No way!”
Shoko nodded.
“Yes way! Really… she’s scary to other people, but she’s a weakling when it comes to scary stuff herself…”
Tomiso shook his head, almost laughing.
“No no. no way… how does that even work? I mean, does she jump if she sees herself in the mirror?”
Shoko laughed shaking her head.
“Aimi-chan doesn’t have a reflection, except in the mirror she haunts. But I dunno.. she’s really scary herself, I mean, she scared people to death literally... but I frightened her with a toy spider once!”
Tomiso laughed, and even Chihiro giggled, then blushed putting her hand over her mouth, saying;
“I shouldn’t laugh. I don’t like scary things either! I’m not sure I’d want to meet her.”
Shoko patted Chihiro’s wrist.
“It’s ok… unless Aimi-chan is angry or she just woke up, she looks normal apart from the old fashioned school uniform.”
Tomiso tilted his head to look at Shoko in puzzlement.
“Whaaa… ghosts sleep?”
“Well, what else did you think they did during the day? She sleeps and eats like us too… I mean, she doesn't have to eat, but she enjoys it. She likes cheeseburgers and spicy fries for example. Yokai aren’t that different you know!”
Tomiso leaned back, propping himself with his arms behind his back.
“Huh… I never knew. I guess yokai are just… people...right?”
Shoko nodded, then frowned…
“Well… yes. That’s true. But you know how not all humans are the same, they have different customs and how some humans are bad people and would hurt or kill you maybe? Well, yokai can be like that too. So, you can’t just think they’re automatically safe. It’s not a fairytale.”
Tomiso and Chihiro nodded slowly together.
“Right..”
“Gotcha.. like you have to be very polite to someone with tattoos because they might be yakuza and you don’t want to insult them!”
Chihiro looked at Tomiso.
“How do you know about Yakuza?”
Tomiso shrugged.
“Mom told me… some of her cousins are in a ‘family’. I’ve never met them, and it’s not likely I ever will, but she told me to be careful, same as she told me to look both ways when crossing the street.”
Chihiro nodded slowly.
“Good advice. I’ll remember that. Be very polite to yokai and tattooed people.”
“Well, at least until you know them well.” Shoko added. Then changing the subject she asked.
“So, what sort of games do you play Tomiso?”
Tomiso, caught off guard, mumbled something while blushing. Shoko raised an eyebrow as even her sharp fox ears didn’t catch what he said…
“What was that Tomiso? I didn’t hear you?”
“I said I like fashion designer games. Ok?!”
Chihiro looked between them, bewildered.
“But...I didn’t know they made them for boys?”
Pouting Tomiso mumbled.
“They don’t. Ok, so I like girly games.. now drop it…”
Chihiro smiled…
“Hey Tomiso… you’re not the only one. You wanna play Top Idol Fashion three with me? I got it yesterday..”
Tomiso stopped sulking in an instant and Shoko was sure if he’d been a kitsune his ears would be quivering in excitement and his brush would be all fluffed up.
“Can I!?! I heard it has an expanded dress options menu and even coordinated accessories!”
Chihiro nodded, grinning, and then added.
“Annnnd… you can even print out the patterns if you want to make them yourself. I mean, they’re meant for dolls, but there’s supposedly a mod that allows you to scale them up to proper dress sizes.. or so I heard on the forums!”
“Coooollll!! Lets play that.. Um… unless you want to play something else Shoko?”
Shoko shook her head, then smiled.
“No, it’s okay. Maybe you two can come up with some ideas for band costumes for Yokai Metal.”
Shoko laughed hard enough that she collapsed sideways at the identical looks of gleeful anticipation and excitement on Tomiso’s and Chihiro’s faces.
-------
Tatsuo scowled at the grey metal sided building. Some would’ve called it ugly industrial, but he considered it uncompromisingly honest in it’s function. It was, after all, primarily a gym and as such all it needed to be was a space to exercise in.
He glanced over his shoulder at the half dozen other oni behind him. Tatsuo suppressed the urge to grin, they were all looking very stereotypically oni, or at least, what they thought humans thought oni looked like... Which basically meant they were dressed like samurai mixed with low-level yakuza thugs. There was a lot of bare chests and arms involved, showing off their muscles.
Tatsuo had picked the most ‘built’ of his people to accompany him. If he’d had the option he would have also included Yuri and Yuko, since they were most familiar with human gyms, but obviously he couldn’t.
“Hoi, you lot. Remember, no fighting...we’re here to send a message, not wreck the place.”
There was a chorus of agreement, and some good natured grumbling at the restriction as they followed Tatsuo.
He was mildly impressed by the receptionist, aside from her being decently muscled for a human, she had the guts to stand her ground when a half dozen oni squeezed their way in through the front door one at a time.
“Um… sir, sirs.. miss...ah… this is a members only gym…”
Tatsuo nodded, and slapped a stack of papers down on the desk.
“I know. We registered online. Our first months fees.”
He added a small stack of 100 yen notes next to the printed forms, and then stood there, arms crossed. He’d expected this first clash, and was prepared. Now he would see what his opponent had instructed his employees to do.
Tatsuo tried to contain his disappointment when the only slightly flustered receptionist accepted the forms and the fees and processed them, handing out locker keys and membership badges along with a clearly memorised speech.
Oh well, he thought, this was only the opening move.
For the next half hour, the Oni rambled around the gym, trying out the machines and generally looming over the other gym members and showing off making the other patrons feel… inadequate. Tatsuo found the indoor fixed climbing wall, and because Jiao said she enjoyed it, tried it out himself.
It didn’t take long for him to decide he preferred to keep his feet firmly on the ground… but he could see why his much more slightly built Imoto-chan would like it.
It was while he was sitting on bench, recovering from the experience, that a man in an expensive track suit and a bad comb-over hairstyle, approached him.
“Excuse me…”
Tatsuo without looking at the man, took a long pull from an overpriced sports drink from the clubs vending machine, and then growled out…
“You, you’re excused. You may go.”
For second the man stared owlishly at Tatsuo in confusion. Tatsuo leaned back slightly, his feet planted wide apart and his back straight against the wall with his eyes closed. He knew without a shadow of doubt his people would be gathering behind the gym owner.
“Ah.. I meant, I need to talk to you, sir.”
“Huh. Well, I don’t need to talk to you. Who are you?”
“My name is Mr Gyfuko, I’m the owner of this club.”
Tatsuo grunted, thinking he was going to enjoy what came next. This was the man that had refused to continue lending the school the portable climbing wall the climbing club depended upon, simply because yokai would be attending. Meaning specifically Jiao.
“Huh. Nice place you have…”
“Yes, thank you. But I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you people to leave. You’re intimidating the other patrons and causing a disruption.”
Tatsuo opened one eye and swept the half dozen oni present with baleful glare.
“Hoi… have any of you threatened anyone?”
They all shook their heads.
“You’ve all been polite like I told you.”
The oni all nodded, and seeing that Tatsuo opened both eyes and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his thighs.
“I don’t see what the problem is then.”
Gyfuko swallowed, and glanced around the gym. There was noticeably less people present than when the conversation had started, and considerable less than when the oni had walked in. Tatsuo raised his voice.
“Hoi, anyone here got a problem with us?”
Silence, only broken by the clank of barbells being used as the remaining few concentrated on working out. Tatsuo grunted and leaned back against the wall, regarding the sweating gym owner coldly as two of the larger oni moved to stand either side of him.
“Looks like no-one here has a problem with us. So, why should we leave? Unless, you’re the one with a problem.”
“N..no I…”
“Huhhh… maybe you don’t have problem with us. Maybe you have a problem with yokai in general, is that it? I heard you transferred your daughter to a private school. Expensive things those, must have had a good reason to do that. Perhaps you don’t like the idea of her mixing with the yokai at school, like my Imoto-chan… Is that your problem then?”
Gyfuko stuttered, trying to find the words to deny what was true… and failing as his brain seized up in panic. Tatsuo stood up, looming over the track-suited Gyfuko, glaring down at his sweaty, badly disguised bald spot.
“But no.. no sensible business owner would allow his own feelings to get in the way of business, would they? After all, there are laws about that now. Discrimination against yokai is illegal now. So, even if you did have a problem with us, you couldn’t just refuse to allow us into your nice club, with all the nice people some of whom maybe feel the same way you do. Not without getting lawyers involved and whole lot of bad publicity.”
Tatsuo smiled, slowly, displaying his shark-like serrated teeth.
“It’s nice gym you have here, decent facilities. I’ll have to bring my imoto-chan here often to use the climbing wall. Of course, the rest of my clan will want to use this gym too, daily probably. I’m sure that won’t bother your patrons, will it?!”
Gyfuko went wide-eyed and Tatsuo knew he’d landed a critical hit, as surely as if he’d seen the blood spurt.
“Of course… perhaps if someone returned the portable climbing wall to the school, maybe made it a gift instead of a loan...and promised to keep funding the climbing club as well. Well then, I wouldn’t need to bring my little sister here after all, would I?”
Gyfuko swallowed, a sickly sallow look on his pale face. He wiped a hand across his brow, and shook the glistening sweat off.
“I.. ah.. suppose that could be arranged. Sir.”
Tatsuo smiled broadly, and laughing clapping the man on his shoulder, causing him to stagger a bit.
“Good man! I knew you’d see reason! Well, I suppose we’ll be off then… oh, I think we’ll cancel our memberships, apart from mine. It seems the machines here aren’t up to an Oni’s strength.”
One of the smaller oni Tatsuo had picked, on hearing her cue, lifted a barbell that bent under the combined load of all the weights she could fit on it. With a grin she did a couple of one-handed bicep curls, then dropped it causing the entire gym to shudder from the impact.
Gyfuko stared bug-eyed at the relativity slender oni girl, and then slowly looked around at her much more massive fellows before looking at Tatsuo. He fumbled behind himself and sat down heavily upon a weights bench.
Tatsuo nodded and the oni started to file out, collecting their refunds on the way.
Just before Tatsuo left himself, he turned to look back at the shaken Gyfuko.
“Good talk. Let’s not have to do this again. You hear?”
The gym owner nodded like a broken puppet. Unable to meet Tatsuo’s eyes.
Once outside Tatsuo dropped the stern stone-faced act, and joined the other oni in their good cheer.
“Lets go get something to eat and drink, what do you say?”
The cheer was answer enough, and as Tatsuo lead the way he couldn’t help thinking that although humans were on the whole a puzzle to him, one he was slowly beginning to understand, there were aspects that were quite familiar. The movie he’d watched with Katsu around new years, had opened his eyes. It had been called ‘The Yakuza’ and that had been his introduction to that world, one that had more than a few parallels to oni culture.
He’d watched many more similar movies since then, not as many as his beloved samurai movies, but enough that Katsu had threatened divine punishment if he actually did something illegal and made him promise not to turn his tribe into a crime family.
Tatsuo had readily promised, although he’d noticed at the time that there was something of a loop-hole in that promise. As long as he didn’t do anything illegal but more the opposite, such as ‘shaking down’ a bigoted gym club owner, he suspected that Katsu would only be slightly annoyed at him since it was for a good cause. At least, so he hoped. Otherwise he’d be nursing a few bruises tomorrow.
Tatsuo smiled to himself. Not that he minded sparring with Katsu when she was angry at him… sure she usually beat him. But the sex afterwards was more than worth it!
She was, after all, a Goddess, and only outwardly cold and stoic. Once she let go of her self-control, Katsu was a raging tempest. Tatsuo smiled fondly, thinking he was yet to properly greet her after she’d been away for far too long.