“Let me know if you see anything suspicious as well,” Shinozaki said to me. “The shapeshifting tanuki might approach you too. Your leakage makes you attractive prey.”
“Got it,” I promised. “Ayakashi also just want to live normal, peaceful lives, huh?”
“Indeed we do. I’m glad you understand.”
I yearned for a normal life. That the ayakashi of Fukuoka desired the same made perfect sense to me.
After leaving Kawazoe’s food stall, Shinozaki and I cut through the Tenjin PARCO shopping center, descended into the underground mall, and passed through the subway ticket gates. The stares of passersby, especially young women, bored into Shinozaki the entire trek. At first, I figured his ears and tail were drawing attention. Each time I caught his reflection in a display window, however, he appeared as a normal, well-dressed young man with short, black hair. Although his face was just as handsome, he looked like a different person without his long hair and animal ears and tail.
When I asked him about it, he said, “Only ayakashi and spiritually gifted humans can see my true form.”
“I feel sorry for everyone who can’t see how cute and fluffy you are,” I mumbled.
“What was that?”
“Oh, uh, nothing.”
He peppered me with questions while we walked. For instance, was I the descendant of a line of miko, Shinto priestesses? He hoped to uncover the reason behind my spiritual energy “leakage.”
I shook my head. I’d grown up in the most mundane of households.
“I see.” He shrugged. “And your family doesn’t have a history of public service.”
“Nope. We’ve lived in Fukuoka for generations but don’t belong to a prestigious house or anything. Actually, a lot of our family records went up in flames during the Bakumatsu era and the various wars since. So I have no idea what my ancient ancestors were up to.”
“It’s a miracle no ayakashi has ever attacked you,” he marveled, “considering how you wander around like a geyser of spiritual energy.”
“I-Is it really that bad?”
“To ayakashi, you might as well be meandering through a safari park wrapped in raw meat. And not just any meat either,” he clarified. “High-quality Wagyu beef from Hakata or Saga. Normal people who can see ayakashi are rare. My kind usually gobbles up prey like you in no time.”
“Yikes!” I yelped.
“Still, we need to do something about your spiritual energy for the sake of public safety. Seriously though, no ayakashi has ever attacked you?”
“I-I don’t think so.”
“Has anything strange ever happened to you?” he pressed. “Do people get uncomfortably close to you? Or are they unnaturally drawn to you?”
“Not that I can think of…”
That said, the president of my workplace sprang to mind. Our company—Chikuzen Clear Office Equipment—sold and leased office automation tools. President Takeshi Mami had become so infatuated with me that I felt compelled to find a new job. But Shinozaki and I were discussing ayakashi. The matter with my boss was probably unrelated. I hoped.
“But come to think of it…” I began.
“Yes?”
“People affiliated with Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines can see ayakashi, right?” I remembered Keiko Nieshima, a senior employee at Chikuzen. She was the one claiming I’d seduced the president.
“I come from a line of miko from a remote island,” she’d told me with a toss of her hair. “That’s why I can sometimes see things others can’t.”
The suddenness of the revelation had startled me, and as a result, her words lodged themselves in my mind.
Shinozaki sighed, evidently giving up for the moment. “Well, family histories often become untraceable. It’s especially common for the maternal side to go unrecorded.”
“But I’d never seen an ayakashi until today,” I insisted.
“You suddenly gained the ability to see us just a little while ago?”
“Yeah… Probably.”
He placed a hand on his chin, seemingly deep in thought again. “Perhaps you had a seal placed on you, and it came undone for some reason.”
“I’m sure it’s just a coincidence. After all, I’m just an ordinary office worker. Nothing special.”
“You’re sure of that?”
“Yep,” I replied.
“You’re absolutely certain there’s nothing odd about you?”
My heart skipped a beat. “O-Of course!” I laughed.
Shinozaki and I descended to the subway platform of Fukuoka Tenjin Station. People of all ages milled around us, waiting to ride the train home.
“Say, Kikui, why don’t you come work for me?” asked Shinozaki abruptly.
“Pardon?”
“You have the makings of a miko, and your spiritual energy is like a busted pipe. If we don’t suppress it, ayakashi will keep hounding you forever. You’ve been job-hunting, right? Take a look at this.” He showed me a job description on his electronic tablet.
As I read it, I broke out in a cold sweat. The offer came with an unbelievable salary and benefits I’d never even imagined. It was the dream job of dream jobs.
“Um… Is this some kind of mistake?” I asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Given my job history, this offer is, uh, way too good to be true. Speaking of which, don’t you need to see my résumé? I’m not even a college graduate. I have nothing but a high school diploma and general office experience.”
“You can hand in your résumé after you start working for me.”
“What kind of business are you running?!”
The overly enticing proposal had me at a loss. The nekomata fortune teller from earlier that evening flashed across my mind.
Wait, is he trying to dupe me too?!
“Since you’re job-hunting, you’re already training your replacement, right?” asked Shinozaki. “Can you start working for me next week? Wrap everything up and quit your job.”
“This is way too sudden!” I cried. “And pushy, for that matter!”
“I’m being serious.” He leaned closer to me, his golden eyes narrowing. “Like I said, you’re essentially raw meat dancing through a safari park. For your sake and the safety of Tenjin, we need to get your spiritual energy under control.”
“U-Um…”
“I’ll give you a job and help you with your spiritual energy. What more could you want?”
“But…” I faltered. “But I had my heart set on a more normal job.”
The unexpected turn of events had left me in a state of confusion. I’d striven to live a normal life that befit my standing.
For some reason, I’ve always been scared of leaping into the unknown.
Yes. I was abnormally frightened of deviating from normalcy. From my routine. I hadn’t applied to college, hadn’t braved moving to Tokyo. I’d chosen a job close to my family home based on my high school’s recommendation. I hadn’t spoken up about my boss’s sexual harassment. I hadn’t even considered a new career until realizing the situation could cost me the chance of a normal courtship and marriage.
I’ve always been too terrified.
“I’m sorry, but…I’m scared,” I admitted.
“Scared?” repeated Shinozaki.
“I’m frightened of being abnormal. See, my hands have always trembled in situations like these.” I lifted a shaking hand, and Shinozaki began to extend his own toward me.
I thrust my head into a bow. “I really appreciate your kindness, but, um, I’ll have to pass on the offer! I sincerely apologize!”
“Hey, wai—”
Before he could finish, I dashed into the train car.
“Please refrain from running,” the conductor said in a deeply irritated tone.
I bobbed my head in apology. As the subway train departed, Shinozaki remained on the platform, his mouth hanging open. When he at last disappeared from view, I breathed a sigh of relief.
🍁🍁🍁