Chapter 5: Yanagawa and Tachibanayama: A Full Account of the Lonely Fox and Me
AFTER Shinozaki dropped me off near my house, I stumbled to the front door on unsteady feet. Once inside, I immediately called Hainuzuka, who’d covered for me that day. Before I could say anything, her bubbly voice sounded from the other end of the phone.
“Are you okay, Kaede? I can’t believe that nasty kidnapper got his hands on you. He didn’t do anything pervy, did he?”
“Absolutely not! Don’t worry about that!”
“My, my, is that so? Did Shinozaki do anything pervy?”
“Shinozaki and I have a perfectly healthy relationship!” I squealed.
I heard muffled laughter. “All’s well that ends well,” she said with another chuckle. “Everything worked out on my end, by the way. I was already running an errand near Hakata Station, so I had no trouble meeting the client on time. No need to worry your little head over that.”
“Thank you so much. Sorry you had to cover for me though. The next time someone tries to kidnap me, I’ll blast them with my Hayakaken beam.”
“Honestly, I’m not sure that’s the best idea, either…”
After a few more minutes of small talk, we hung up.
“Wait,” I said to myself. Hainuzuka always came to work as a black Shiba Inu dressed in a secretarial uniform. While her appearance would delight furries, she didn’t look especially human. “Was she running her errand like that?”
Perhaps, similar to Shinozaki, she could assume a more human semblance. In that case, did Shinozaki have a more vulpine form as well? I’d love to run my fingers through that maxed-out fluffiness someday.
“Shinozaki…” I murmured.
Just thinking about him caused my face to grow warm. Our kiss inside the car replayed over and over again in my mind. My cheek, caressed by his hand, still tingled. I’d finally kissed the real Shinozaki, not my boss or an ayakashi helping me with my spiritual energy. Yet the thought of his past still frightened me. I wouldn’t be able to bask in sweet giddiness forever, so I wanted to savor the experience—his gentle voice, intoxicating scent, and the softness of his lips—for as long as possible.
“Mrrow.”
“Whoa!” I yelped. “Don’t scare me like that!”
Yoru, leaving the bathroom, froze, and his black coat puffed in fright.
“Sorry,” I amended. “I didn’t mean to spook you either. I was sort of lost in thought, so you startled me.”
“I see,” he said, curling up next to me in cat form. As he recharged his spiritual energy, I patted his head, causing his ears to flatten like miniature airplane wings.
So cute.
Despite my best efforts to distract myself with his soft fur, I still felt restless. I looked down at him as a purr rumbled in the back of his throat.
“What are you doing this weekend?” I asked.
“Returning to my former master’s estate,” he said. “I’m going to weed the lawn and tidy the place up.”
“Oh, that’s right. You just bought the estate, didn’t you?”
He’d purchased the land on which his former master’s family had lived for generations. In helping the nekomata in Nakasu those few evenings, he’d gained the favor of influential individuals in their community and secured backing and a guarantor to buy the property. It hadn’t been too expensive, since the estate was on a mountaintop with little road access and no public transportation. Regardless, Yoru couldn’t have been happier.
“Wow,” I said. “You have a lot going on in your life too, huh?”
“I want you to visit once I’ve finished cleaning it. I’ll serve you tea.”
“Come to think of it, you belonged to a samurai house, didn’t you? That’s amazing.” I sank into thought while stroking his fur. Honestly, I didn’t want to spend the weekend alone.
Should I meet up with a friend? Or spend time with my parents? But if they start asking me about the future or marriage, I’ll just get depressed.
Right on cue, my phone buzzed. Grabbing it with my free hand, I found a highly welcome text. “Tsukushi!” I exclaimed.
“Can I call you now?”
“Of course!” I typed.
As soon as the “read” notification appeared under my text, my phone chimed.
Tsukushi’s tinkling laughter greeted me. “You picked up on the first ring. Overeager, much?”
I chuckled sheepishly. “You got me. So, what’s going on with you?”
“I know this is sudden, but are you free this weekend? If so, would you like to go sightseeing in Yanagawa with me? I have tickets to tour Ryokan Ohana.”
“That sounds amazing!”
Talk about perfect timing.
Ohana was a famous traditional Japanese inn, and Yanagawa a castle city around forty-five minutes from Tenjin by private railway. The area was one of the most scenic in the Chikugo region, and I’d been interested in visiting it for some time due to a tourism campaign a while back. The unique layout of castle towns, as well as the canals crisscrossing Yanagawa, appealed to me a great deal.
If I stayed in Tenjin, where I worked with Shinozaki nearly every day, I would inevitably think about him. Tsukushi’s invitation to Yanagawa couldn’t have come at a better time.
“So, how about it?” she asked.
“Yeah, let’s go!” I decided. “Thanks for inviting me. I was just thinking that I wanted to hang out with someone this weekend.”
“Well then, let’s meet beneath the screen in front of Fukuoka Tenjin Station tomorrow.”
“Roger that! I’ll make sure to be good and hungry.”
“Oh, Kaede, you’re such a goofball.” She giggled. “I’m looking forward to our date. Let’s eat every tasty thing we see, okay?”
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THE next day, leaning against the wall beneath the station’s giant display, I waited for Tsukushi. Tenjin had an altogether different vibe on the weekends. Tourists as well as locals flooded the streets for a day out. Just standing amid the lively crowd of vibrantly dressed people lifted my spirits.
Curious, I glanced at the spot where I first encountered Yoru. His fortune-telling booth was no longer there, of course. Actually, I met Yoru and Shinozaki in front of that stall.
My life had changed a great deal since then. Shinozaki and I had met in the spring, and the advent of autumn was already upon us. “Not even half a year has passed,” I murmured in slight surprise.
Looking up, I saw the latest promotional video from Jellysh on the giant LED screen. We’d barely avoided disaster when Shizuku lost control of her spiritual energy. The memory brought a smile to my lips.
“Not even half a year, and I’ve already made so many memories with ayakashi…”
While I waxed sentimental, Tsukushi arrived in a white dress.
“Sorry for the wait,” she said.
I stared at her, unable to respond.
She cocked her head. “What’s wrong, Kaede?” Her exposed slender arms were snow white, as white as her dress and hat. She was so beautiful that I almost doubted she was human.
“You’re not an ayakashi, are you?” I blurted.
Her strikingly round eyes blinked in surprise. “Why would you think that?”
“You’re just, um, so beautiful. It’s hard to believe you’re human, so…”
As I stuttered excuses, a memory of my first sight of Shinozaki surfaced. He was handsome enough to turn heads too. In fact, he and Tsukushi shared the same sort of ethereal beauty. Both had angular jawlines, porcelain-smooth skin, and sensuously round eyes. Their features were so refined that they appeared intimidating without a smile.
Tsukushi tittered. “I can always count on you for a laugh.”
Does she even realize how breathtaking she is?
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