KIYONE led me to an event site that had been set up on the beach.
“This is exactly what I saw on TV this morning,” I realized.
“The event starts tomorrow,” she said. “It’s all-hands-on-deck right now.”
The staff were all beautiful women with long, black hair like Kiyone. Wearing matching, scarlet shirts, they were constructing the many stalls for the festival. The squadron of beauties waved to Kiyone, their radiance nearly blinding me.
“Good work out there, Kiyone!” one of them called.
Kiyone had brought pasta for the group. I helped her carry it to the break area.
“Who’s this, Kiyone?” another woman asked. “She has spiritual energy, but she seems human.”
“That’s right!” said Kiyone. “She’s the newbie from Shinozaki’s company!”
Setting down the food, I presented my business card and bowed. “Nice to meet you. I’m Kikui from Ayakashi Career and Moving Services. Thank you for your loyal patronage.”
“Oh, you work for that young fox, huh?” the woman asked.
Her remark startled me somewhat. Actually, how old is Shinozaki? He looks like he’s in his twenties, but you can’t judge an ayakashi by their appearance.
“Are you all hamahime?” I asked.
“Nope. Kiyone’s the only hamahime. The rest of us are iso-onna. Ever heard of us?”
“Well, uh, I did do some last-minute reading.”
Iso-onna were ayakashi that lived in the ocean around Kyushu. And just like Kiyone, they were all as pretty as famous actresses. To encounter their kind on the open sea was dangerous in more ways than one.
“Well, we’re all women of water,” the iso-onna said. “Nice to meet you.”
Quickly and excitedly, the cordial crew of iso-onna laid the various pastas on a long table, and lunch began. They invited me to eat with them as well.
“Are you sure?” I asked.
“Of course, of course,” the iso-onna chorused.
One dish was thick, chewy noodles in a vibrant tomato sauce. Meanwhile, the fragrant aroma of melted cheese wafted from a second. Each woman received a portion of every pasta.
“Wow,” I said, covering my mouth as I chewed. “This is amazing.”
The women broke into smiles.
“Right?” one asked.
“The restaurant uses fresh vegetables and cheese from Itoshima,” another said. “Not only are the local ingredients delicious, they’re also chock-full of spiritual energy. It’s a real lifesaver.”
Itoshima had built an impressive reputation concerning its cuisine. Although I knew very little about culinary arts, I had seen supermarkets and restaurants advertising a variety of tasty ingredients from the area. That included dairy, eggs, and more. My parents even occasionally drove to Itoshima merely to stock up.
So, the food here is just as delicious and rejuvenating for ayakashi, huh? That makes sense—it’s so good, after all.
The iso-onna had ushered me into their circle so naturally, and the depth of my emotion surprised me. I hadn’t enjoyed lunch that much in a long time.
Afterward, the crew returned to work while Kiyone and I cleared the table.
“Are you okay?” she asked. “I hope their enthusiasm didn’t overwhelm you.”
“Not at all,” I replied. “Good company makes a meal even better. Still, you seem right at home on this beach.”
Kiyone nodded, a smile playing on her lips. “Of course. Shinozaki introduced me to the iso-onna community here. The people and ayakashi of Itoshima have been so kind to me.”
“Do you have any concerns about your life here?”
“Nope. Every day is a blast. You did a little research on hamahime, right?”
“Yes,” I admitted. They were ayakashi that devoured shadows and originated from the Hashitate area of Kaga City in Ishikawa Prefecture.
Kiyone smiled wistfully, staring at the water through the window in the break room. “The kitamaebune—merchant ships—thrived where I lived,” she said, then opened the window to let in the ocean breeze. The high afternoon sun illuminated the sea, stretching to the horizon, with dazzling, white light. “It was a lively port during the peak years of that shipping route. Grand estates lined the settlement near my shore. Whenever I watched those ships fade into the distance, I grew envious, wondering where they were bound.”
The wind caught her black hair, fanning it like unfurling wings.
“Around five years ago, as night fell over the ocean, I remembered my yearning to see the world. That evening, I vowed to leave my home. A friend of mine told me about a certain generous fox, and I’ve been in Shinozaki’s care ever since.”
“Oh, so that’s how you two met.”
“I wanted to live in a new place,” she said, “but I loved watching the sunset over the sea in my homeland. So, to prevent homesickness, I decided to settle in a place where the sun sinks into the water. That’s why I chose to move next to the Sea of Japan. It’s easy to visit home too.”
“Visit home? Do you actually cross the ocean?”
“I’m a hamahime, remember? Swimming is right in my wheelhouse.”
I followed her gaze to the shore and sky. Truthfully, I rarely left Fukuoka and knew nothing about Kiyone’s homeland. As I looked at Keya Beach, my mind turned to the distant waters of Hokuriku.
“Somewhat unrelated,” she said, “but there’s a reason I called you here.”
At that moment, one of the iso-onna previously working to erect the venue approached us. The gorgeous woman appeared a little younger than me and wore beach sandals and that red T-shirt. She also had long, black hair, and even without makeup, her beauty gave me the chills. I recognized her as the iso-onna that had been sitting at the end of the long table during lunch. She held one of the business cards I’d handed to everyone.
As I inclined my head to the newcomer, Kiyone said, “Allow me to introduce you properly. This is Shizuku. She’s an iso-onna that lives in the waters around Keya Beach. She’s still fairly young, only seventy years old. In human terms, that would be about…eighteen, maybe?”
I had no understanding of how ayakashi viewed age, and perhaps Kiyone sensed as much. Thank goodness she’s so insightful.
“Shizuku wants to start saving money to live on her own,” she continued. “But since she’s never lived among humans, I want you to help her find an apartment and a job that suits her.”
So unlike Kiyone, who’d migrated to Itoshima, Shizuku wanted to live elsewhere.