Something passed by his pillow.
Masamichi awakened to the sense of that presence and the creaking sound of footsteps going across the tatami mat. He buried himself nose-deep in his warm duvet and opened his mouth, his twitching eyelids still closed.
“I’d like miso soup with soft tofu, Mom,” he said.
The footsteps came to a sudden halt.
After a few moments of silence, a voice from above jolted Masamichi from his comfortable slumber.
“I was going to use soft tofu without having you request it, but since when have I been your mother?”
“…?!”
Masamichi kicked off his duvet and sat up. He glanced up fearfully, saw Shino in a nightgown, and screeched.
“D-did I call you M-Mom?!”
Shino looked down at him with a cool stare and replied without emotion, “You did.”
Like a cartoon character, Masamichi jumped out of bed in an instant and got down on his hands and knees on the mat.
“Sorry! I’m really sorry! Geez, calling my master Mom… Um, to make an excuse, I was having a dream just before I woke up. I was back home.”
Then Shino said curtly, “I know.” Stunned, Masamichi looked up at Shino’s face, which was beautiful even though he had just gotten out of bed.
“You know? Shino…you didn’t…”
The corners of his master’s mouth turned up slightly into a wicked smile.
“It wasn’t as if I wanted to see your dream, but it went ahead and flowed into my mind.”
“Huh?! Is that like when I sleep next to you, and I sometimes see your dreams?”
“I don’t know how it is for you, but probably. A young child was nestled on a mattress between his parents in a Japanese-style room. I knew right away that it was you.”
“That’s it! That’s really the dream I had! I was dreaming of when I was a little kid.” Masamichi got up and clapped once in excitement. “I was really weak until I was around primary-school age, often getting a fever or throwing up in the middle of the night, and my parents worried about me and always let me sleep with them.”
Shino prompted him silently with a nudge of his chin, as if saying “And?”
“I would crawl under the covers with my mom and dad and feel so warm and safe that I never wanted to get up. But I’d get hungry in the morning. I loved how my mom always asked me what I wanted in my miso soup for breakfast…and I was dreaming about that time. It’s rare for me to remember a dream I had so clearly. That’s why I was still half asleep and confused and called you Mom. Sorry for sharing a weird dream like that. But— Hey!”
Masamichi looked at his body and was stunned as he spoke.
Shino was wearing comfortable linen pajamas, while Masamichi was still in his sweatshirt.
“Why did I sleep in this? Huh? Come to think of it, I don’t even remember slipping under the covers with you. We’re in your room, right? Why am I here…?”
Appearing slightly irritated, Shino said, “Of course you don’t remember it. I tucked you in.”
“Huh?! You did? Why…? Oh. Ohh!!”
Masamichi held his head in his hands.
His brain finally caught up with his rapid awakening, and his memories from the previous night became clear.
“I was helping you sort out artifact spirits, then…”
After finishing dinner, Masamichi had returned to his room and been about to make a serious effort to study when Shino called him from downstairs.
Even discounting the fact that the house was old and poorly soundproofed, Shino’s voice carried well, like a stringed instrument. Perhaps he put a little magic into it. No matter how casually he called out, Masamichi always heard him, regardless of where he was in the house.
Nothing took precedence over his master’s call, and Masamichi had rushed downstairs and found Shino in his room at the far end of the house.
He had been sitting on a cushion, reading some ancient-looking books at his beloved writing desk, and turned around as Masamichi entered.
“Help me sort that out.”
“Sort what out?”
Still standing at the entrance, Masamichi had spotted what Shino indicated with his gaze.
A large cardboard box was in the center of the small room, filled with old items that were packed tightly inside and in such a messy way that it was impossible to close.
Prompted by Shino’s gaze, Masamichi sat on the tatami mat in front of the box and had looked uncertainly at his master.
“Aren’t all the things in here artifact spirits?”
“Some are, and some aren’t. They’re items I accepted the other day from a man who inherited an old house in Kobe.”
Ah, Masamichi had thought.
“The man you said was renovating an old storehouse and turning it into a nice café. So the things here…um…”
Paying no heed to Masamichi’s attempt to describe the items diplomatically, considering that some were artifact spirits, Shino had been blunt.
“He asked me to pick up his junk. Since he was introduced to me by a client of Daizou’s, I brought these back since I couldn’t turn him down, but he was an unpleasant character. I doubt I’ll ever see him again.”
“…I see.”
“He clearly picked out the things that might be worth money. But he did seem to know that old vessels could be possessed. I suppose he may be considered somewhat decent as the heir to an old family,” Shino had said bitterly, relaxing in a warm sweater and sweatpants, and gave Masamichi a simple order. “I intended to put it off since it’s quite frustrating, but since you consistently urge me to tidy things up in the store…”
“Wait, I don’t urge you to do anything! I’d never order you around like that. I’m sorry if I might sound a bit commanding sometimes. Shino, there’s hardly any space left in the store for any more things. Even a specter can’t do anything about space issues, right?”
The way Masamichi quickly excused his behavior seemed to convey the serious reality to Shino. He had folded his arms and clammed up, which was unusual for him.
“Hmm…”
“I’m sure you could have many things around at Tokifuyu’s house since it was huge, but this is a small house. You can’t just cram things in endlessly. There’s barely enough space to walk through the narrow aisle as things stand, and your clients seem to have a tough time when they try to walk into the store.”
“Hmm…”
“Even humans don’t like crowded trains. I don’t think artifact spirits could live comfortably in a place that’s too crowded, either. It’s hard to tidy up since there’s too little space. That’s why I had that accident before…,” he said, recalling the fear he’d experienced when he inadvertently dropped an artifact spirit doll that became angry and almost strangled him to death.
Shino seemed to remember that. Unfolding his arms, he’d said Masamichi was indeed likely to repeat the same mistake. “I’m aware of that. That’s why lately I’ve been making a bit of an effort to place artifact spirits with the right people.”
“Yeah? I kind of got that feeling. Thanks, Shino.”
Shino had arrogantly pointed to the cardboard box as Masamichi appreciated what he considered his thoughtfulness. “I was going to leave that in a corner somewhere, but I concede that you have a point and am allowing you to tidy up. Divide up the contents into artifact spirits and items that aren’t artifact spirits.”