Munakata gave a deep sigh. He sulkily plopped his head into his hands.
“…I just can’t believe Neo-sensei hid such talent from me all this time! Darn it, why didn’t he tell me?”
Akari looked up sharply at that name.
Neo…the Narrator who had cared for Akari ever since that day twelve years ago.
“You know Mr. Neo?”
“Know him? He’s been my Spirit Master for the past ten years. When you came to the city, he ordered me to look out for you.”
What the heck? Those two are connected now? But Munakata was continuing to pout, as if this conversation was inconsequential and boring. But Akari got the feeling there was more to their connection than she knew.
“What happened to Tomohito and…everyone else?”
Akari still couldn’t believe that Munakata and Neo knew each other, but she wanted to know this more than anything else. Munakata nodded.
“Tomohito is back at the Bookhouse under house arrest. The…Gremlum, was it? We performed a basic sealing procedure on him, just until his spirit powers recharge. But he’s your Kotogami as well now, not ours.”
“Yes, about that. It hasn’t really sunk in… So I’ve become like his mistress?”
“You’ve become that for both of them. Your blood…and I think tears? …Anyway, your essence became part of the very bindings of their Kotogatari. You’ll be able to rely on them and issue orders to them for the rest of your days. They will answer to no other Narrator but you.”
Akari recalled her tears now, dripping onto Tomohito’s Kotogatari back in that flaming warehouse. And she remembered holding the Raiju’s Pseudogatari in her injured, bleeding hand. When she’d narrated anew for them both, her blood and tears had then formed a powerful, binding spirit contract.
“The Pseudogatari was a fake, of course, just a simplified account of the spirit’s past, but enough to bind its soul within. The Gremnim… The Gremlump…”
“It’s Gremlin. You’re not very good at reading the Roman alphabet, are you?”
“Oh, be quiet. Let me finish.”
Munakata scowled at her for a moment before continuing.
“That creature’s past and its characteristics were close enough to a Raiju’s that they were able to manifest it as a Kotogami, albeit in an incomplete form. We have it in custody at the Association right now, but…what do you want to happen?”
“What do you mean?”
Akari had no idea what he was asking her in that offhand manner of his.
So Munakata spelled it out for her.
“You are that Gremlin’s Narrator. Whether officially recorded or not. And if you choose not to live as a Narrator and leave the Bookhouse, that fact won’t change. A Narrator can never escape from their Kotogami. So this is your last chance. If you ask it, we can seal away both demons forever, and you will be free. The choice is up to you.”
“You’re giving me an out? You’re not using this as a chance to strong-arm me into becoming a Narrator? I’m astonished.”
Yes, that possibility had occurred to her. But Munakata had a look on his face that was a mix of reluctance and acceptance.
“Well, I can’t deny that we used you when it came to Sumimata Corp. But we won’t force you. You can live a normal life and enjoy reading books just for fun. We’ll take care of the demons and everything else. It’s your choice.”
Perhaps this was his way of atoning for getting her involved in all this. Munakata was going to take responsibility after all.
He yawned hugely then, and Akari had the feeling he was never going to be completely reliable. But she also decided not to care.
“Let me ask one more thing first.”
“Fire away.”
“What happened to Mitsuko?”
Akari hadn’t seen her since the fire. Munakata raised one eyebrow, as if he hadn’t expected Akari to care. He blinked several times before answering her in a matter-of-fact tone.
“Mitsuko Maruyama is currently in our custody as a vital witness. Interrogations have already begun, and so far she has proved most cooperative.”
“What’s going to happen to her after that?”
“Nothing. The warehouse incident has been officially ruled an accident, and the truth has been covered up. She will be neither accused nor prosecuted. But she has an unusual power to her voice, and we intend to investigate it going forward.”
“I see.”
Munakata raised his brow again, seemingly picking up on the harsh edge to Akari’s response.
“She will be kept under close observation. Potentially for the rest of her natural life. Perhaps that will be punishment enough.”
“To be honest…she deserves what she gets.”
Mitsuko was pathetic, but she’d still been prepared to murder Akari in cold blood. Akari wasn’t a noble enough person to ever forgive her for that.
She smiled sardonically, and Munakata seemed, for a moment, disturbed. Then he shook his head, chuckling.
“You’re a dangerous one, aren’t you?”
“Speak for yourself.”
“But you know…for a girl with all the fight knocked out of her, Miss Maruyama was surprisingly insistent about one thing.”
Munakata snorted, and Akari frowned.
“What do you mean?”
“Between interrogation sessions, she had her nose constantly buried in a book. Once she finished one, she’d immediately demand another. We have no shortage of books at the Association, so that wasn’t an issue…but why the sudden interest in reading, I wonder?”
“…No real reason, I’m sure.”
Akari covered her mouth with her hand, silent for a while. Munakata gave her a questioning look, but she simply shook her head. Removing her hand, she forced herself to keep fighting back a smile.
Mitsuko had betrayed her horribly, and she would never, ever forgive her for that. Given five minutes alone in a room with her, she’d have some choice insults to throw at the other woman. But Akari couldn’t help feeling glad that her words had gotten through to Mitsuko in the end after all.
Shrugging off Akari’s reaction, Munakata got to his feet. It seemed their conversation had reached its end.
“You’ll be discharged tomorrow. You can give me your answer later, after you’ve returned to the Bookhouse, if you like. You should probably give it a great deal of thought before deciding.”
Akari couldn’t believe he was actually giving her ample time to think it through. She called him back as he was about to open the door.
“Munakata… I mean, Mr. Munakata. I’ve already decided.”
Munakata was looking over his shoulder at her, his mouth slightly open.
She was still filled with concerns about the path ahead, but it all seemed worth it in that moment, just to enjoy the expression on Munakata’s face.