THE next day, Shinozaki and I parked near Akasaka Station to meet with Shizuku. She’d transferred from the Chikuhi Line to the subway to reach Tenjin, the reverse of the route I’d taken to visit Itoshima.
“Thank you for helping me today,” she said with a bow. She was wearing glasses, a mask, and a hat that completely covered her hair.
“Pretty elaborate disguise,” I noted. She and I sat in the back seat while Shinozaki drove.
“Iso-onna have to consciously suppress their spiritual energy,” he said. “Otherwise, they unwittingly seduce human men.”
Shizuku nodded. “The other iso-onna are good at controlling their spiritual energy because they’re used to people. But I’ve hardly ever left the sea. Do you think I’ll be okay?”
“You’ll be fine,” I assured her. “I looked into several jobs for you yesterday. Women-dominated workplaces, positions that don’t require you to go outside or deal with crowds, depending on your shift.”
I handed her a printout of options that met her requirements. I also showed her my tablet. The screen displayed job listings and photos of their worksites that captured their atmosphere. Shizuku absorbed every detail of information, her gaze focused.
“Does anything here appeal to you?” I asked.
“Let’s see…” She pointed to the call center. “I would probably feel more at ease in a place with fewer men.”
The call center had a relaxed dress code. The ability to wear whatever she felt most comfortable in would prevent her from unintentionally standing out. And though the job had a three-month trial period, she could live in company-leased housing for the time being. It seemed like a perfect fit for someone who wanted to live on her own.
“Well then, let’s drop by the call center first!” I decided. “We can visit places with similar conditions as well.”
I mapped a route on the tablet that prioritized several of those she had shown an interest in. Then I handed it to Shinozaki as he smoothly merged onto the highway.
We toured many workplaces. Yet none of them had quite what she was looking for. Essentially, she couldn’t imagine building a life in any of them.
Shizuku had plenty of skills that would make her an immediate asset. She could perform general office work because she knew how to operate computers and smartphones. Given her familiarity with modern society, she could choose any job geared toward ayakashi.
Unfortunately, we couldn’t find one that felt right for her.
“I’ll take any job,” she said, “so long as I can live alone, easily visit the city, and earn a decent wage.” In other words, anything and anywhere would do.
Those conditions make it difficult to recommend a possible choice. Well, it’s not like we have to decide today. Still…
Would she truly be happy with anything? For some reason, I didn’t think so.
After visiting a company on Kirameki Street, we headed to Fukuoka Tenjin Station for a bit of sightseeing. A curry restaurant in the underground mall intrigued Shizuku, so we ate there for lunch. The food was quite tasty and unique, the establishment part of a chain specializing in curry. The long-grain rice and soupy sauce really hit the spot.
“Wait, did you want to work at this curry restaurant?” I guessed.
“Not particularly…” answered Shizuku.
Her eyes darted around as we ate. After the meal, she stepped away from the table for a moment.
“Kaede,” said Shinozaki while we waited for her to return.
“Yes?”
“You look like you have something on your mind.”
“Yeah, kind of…”
“Spill it,” he urged.
“Honestly, I feel like she’s hiding something, but for the life of me, I can’t figure out what.”
His eyes widened slightly. “Oh?”
“D-Did I say something weird?”
“No, keep going.”
“All right.” I nodded. “Leaping into an unfamiliar environment takes courage. Shizuku must have a reason for moving, right? But it seems like she can’t admit this reason to the other ayakashi in Keya. And even with just the two of us here, she’s still keeping her motivation a secret. She doesn’t want to work anywhere in particular. What’s more, she doesn’t seem to have come to Tenjin just for fun… Oh, sorry. I’m rambling.” A blush crept up my cheeks.
Shinozaki shook his head. “I told you to keep going,” he said. “Besides, I’m a fox that’s lived for centuries. You have a much better sense of what she’s feeling than I do. I’m glad you’re giving it careful consideration.”
“Wait,” I said. “You think I have a better sense of what she’s feeling?”
“She’s seventy years old, right? That’s still within a normal human lifespan.”
“Well, yeah, I suppose that makes sense.”
Abruptly, I noticed how long Shizuku had been gone. “Speaking of which,” I said, “shouldn’t she be back by now?”
“Yeah, it’s been a minute,” agreed Shinozaki.
Realization dawned on me as he and I exchanged glances. According to Shizuku, she didn’t care where she worked or what she did. Yet she’d singled out the curry restaurant. Until then, she hadn’t made any decisions of her own. She’d chosen the restaurant for some other reason than wanting to work there. And a little while later, she’d excused herself from the table—another instance of volition.
The look in Shinozaki’s eyes told me I was right.
“I’m going to check on her,” I said.
“You’ve got this,” he replied.
Leaving the restaurant, I checked everywhere, including the restroom and powder room. I couldn’t find Shizuku anywhere. “What should I do?” I mumbled. “She isn’t lost, right?”
She might’ve gone to a different floor. I exited the underground and scanned the crowd of people on the surface. “Shizuku!” I called, my heart thumping. “Shizuku!”
Finally, I spotted a woman standing beneath Fukuoka Tenjin Station’s giant digital display, staring at the screen in a daze. She wore glasses, a lowered mask, and a large hat.
“Oh, Shizuku, there you are!” I cried, dashing over to her.
Her expression startled me: her eyes were glued to the artist performing on the display as her lips moved silently and in sync with the lyrics.
I followed her gaze, peering up at the screen. The young man in the music video wore baggy streetwear. He had long, angular, and delicate limbs. His undercut was dyed neon.
I recognized him. “Jellysh…”
Jellysh—stylized as Jellyθ—had recently debuted on a major record label. His videos were blowing up on streaming sites due to the undeniable charm of his sweet yet hoarse voice.
“I can’t believe it,” Shizuku murmured. Her voice trembled with emotion. “Jellysh is popular enough to appear on such a big screen.” She removed her glasses, revealing watery eyes. She sang under her breath, not missing a single line from his new song.
“I see…” I mumbled to myself. “So that’s what was going on.”
Why was an introvert like Shizuku so determined to leave home and find work? Why wasn’t she able to admit her reason for working to her community? For that matter, why her insistence on living alone when that community was within commuting distance of Fukuoka? And why had she suddenly needed money?
She’d been skirting the issue, yet my intuition had led me to the answer.
“Shizuku,” I said when Jellysh disappeared from the screen.
“Ah!” she yelped. “Oh, um, I’m sorry. I got lost, and…”
“He’s your favorite, isn’t he?”
Shizuku’s striking, dark eyes widened in shock. “You can tell?” Her pale fingers gripped my hand. Her black hair, no longer crammed beneath her hat, fanned out in apparent excitement, and her face shone with joy. With her glasses and mask removed, not even a lack of makeup could diminish her breathtaking beauty.
“I love Jellysh!” she cried. “With all my heart! When I first heard him singing at a music festival in Keya, I burst out of the sea and literally screamed in delight!”
Shizuku’s enthusiasm was starting to turn heads in the vicinity.
“Can you dial it back a bit?” I teased. “We’re drawing a lot of attention.”
“Oh, um, sorry. I couldn’t help myself. That was my first time seeing the advertisement for his new song.”
I giggled. “I know exactly how you feel. Let’s go somewhere else, and you can tell me all about it.”
I was trying to lead a blushing Shizuku back to the curry shop when I noticed something strange about the crowd. An abnormal number of men were staring at us. Their hollow eyes reminded me of people under hypnosis.
“Don’t tell me…” I murmured.
Iso-onna. Ayakashi who seduced men and drank their blood. Creatures with long, black hair that could extend as if possessed of its own will.
“You’re losing control of your spiritual energy!” I realized.
“Huh?” responded Shizuku. “Oh!” She shoved her hat back on her head.
But once unleashed, the spiritual energy radiating from her beautiful face and hair drew man after man toward us.
This is bad.
I recalled something Shinozaki had told me when we first met.
“Ayakashi are exposed through idle gossip,” he’d said. “Eventually, enough dots connect to form an urban legend, giving rise to rumors of the supernatural. When that happens, professionals in that line of work are able to uncover misbehaving ayakashi. For example, a nekomata conducting an illegal business in front of Tenjin Station.”
The way the situation was headed, Shizuku was going to break the rules. She would probably lose the ability to find a job. “What should I do?” I mumbled.
Although Shizuku hid her face and hair, men continued to gather around her.
What can I do? No, it’s not an issue of can or can’t! I have to do something!
At that moment, I spotted fox ears amid the rabble of men.
“Kaede!” shouted Shinozaki. “Are you okay?!”
“Shinozaki!”
I breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of him. Given his height, Shinozaki’s head and ears rose over the throng of people.
I’ll be okay. Even if worse comes to worst, Shinozaki’s here. I need to focus on stopping Shizuku’s spiritual ener—
“Oh,” I whispered. Shinozaki had once absorbed my spiritual energy.
That’s right. I can just copy what he did.
“Shizuku!” I yelled.
“Huh?” she said, panicked.
No time like the present. I grabbed her shoulders. Her eyes shut as she braced herself for whatever might come next.
“Sorry about this!” I cried. “But I don’t have any other choice!” And I pressed my lips against hers.
Don’t get any funny ideas! This is no different than CPR!
“Mmm?!” Shizuku’s muffled scream caught in her throat.
I have no idea how to absorb her energy, but maybe I can force it to work!
As I mashed our lips together, I recalled the sensation of Shinozaki siphoning my energy. Power welled within my body, and in an instant, I began to black out.
Gentle arms caught my fall.
And perhaps it was my imagination, but I thought I heard Shinozaki’s exasperated voice from somewhere far away.
“You absolute idiot.”
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