Interview with the Yokai

Chapter 3

Shoji's thoughts were interrupted when the girl in question opened the door to the roof. Benihime still looked like the gentle, almost fragile, girl that Shoji had always imagined her to be. That thought was instantly shattered though, the moment she saw Shoji, Benihime shot him a deadly cold stare. Shoji felt a chill go down his spine and was momentarily paralyzed. Benihime turned to leave, disgust and hatred in her eyes, she was stopped by Yayaka.

" No you don't, what have we been talking about Beni-chan, you go talk to Shoji-kun and I mean actually talk," Yayaka said as she pushed Benihime towards Shoji.

" You two play nice," Yayaka said as she left them alone on the roof. Shoji wished that she hadn't left when it was just him and Benihime, standing next to each other in silence.

" Hello, Toyama-san," Shoji said, thinking that it might be best to be as formal as possible.

" Hello Matsumoto-san, Yayaka-chan brought me here, it seems you once again are in the middle of some deceit," Benihime said hostility in her voice.

" I guess that's fair, perhaps the school roof wasn't the best place to do this, too much like returning to the scene of the crime," Shoji said.

" Is that your idea of admitting to some wrong doing?," Benihime said, her tone still hostile.

" No, I was just trying to break the ice, I guess it didn't work. I'm going to just cut to the point here. Before anything I would like to apologize to you for the events of last Friday. I'm sorry it took this long for me to apologize to you, it is something that I should have done that day, unfortunately, I was overwhelmed. Still I can not deny that I wronged you, it was not my intention. I hope you will accept the apology," Shoji said bowing deeply to Benihime.

" Do you understand what you're asking of me? Do you understand what you did? The only man I ever wanted to see me naked was my husband, the only man I ever wanted to see naked was my husband, neither one of those things will be true now. Because of you, I must know keep a secret from Keiji-kun, I have become something I hate, a deceitful woman. You can apologize, but will your apology right any of these wrongs?," Benihime asked him, her voice full of emotion.

Shoji didn't know what to do, Benihime seemed deeply wounded and he wanted to do something for her, but the girl had values that seemed from another age. Shoji thought he had embarrassed her, maybe wounded her pride, but in fact it was her very honor as woman that she seemed to think was wounded. How did Shoji fix that? None of the other girls had reacted like this, in fact both Yayaka and Mari almost seemed to not even mind. Was the problem that Benihime was a Yuki-onna and this was just how they thought? Benihime started to turn away as Shoji stood there.

" Stop Toyama-san, I can't do anything about someone besides your husband seeing you naked, well I can, but I don't think that's the solution you want. I can do something about you and Tanahashi-san. If you want you can tell him what happened or at least a version of what happened and you won't have to keep any secrets," Shoji couldn't believe what he said, but Benihime's naive innocence had touched him.

" Keiji-kun will be really angry at you if I do that," Benihime said.

" Of course him and his stooges will cave my face in," Shoji said.

" Keiji-kun isn't like that anymore, he's changed since he's been with me, he knows I don't like violence," Benihime said and Shoji had to try very hard to keep a straight face.

" I'll accept the consequences," Shoji said.

" When you said that spell and I found myself nude staring at your naked body, I was angry, I thought you were just a pervert. It's obvious that isn't true and your willingness to accept consequences for actions that weren't completely your fault, mean that you are a better man than I was giving you credit for. I'm not angry at you, what I'm angry at is the situation I'm in and my inability to get any revenge on Kurasawa-sama for causing it," Benihime said, getting emotional.

" Is Kurosawa-sama really that powerful?," Shoji asked.

" She's been alive for over five hundred years in four hundred more years, she'll basically be a god. Even if she wasn't so old, I'm a Yuki-onna, I might seem powerful to you, but my power is only of any use against men who wrong me. Even if I wanted to, I can't use them against Kurasawa-sama. I would just be a regular girl against a five-tailed fox, there's nothing I can do against her. I redirected my anger at you so I wouldn't feel so helpless, but now I feel ashamed. I really can't stand that fox, she's been alive for so long, that she's forgotten what it's like to be a young woman, she just having fun playing tricks," Benihime said, this time tears starting to slowly come down her cheek.

Shoji acted out of instinct he grabbed Benihime and gave her a hug patting her head. Benihime went stiff at first and Shoji feared he had made a mistake, but then she relaxed and gently pushed him away.

" Sorry that might have been out of place," Shoji said.

" No it's ok, I'm just being too emotional. Thank you Shoji-san and also, please accept my apology has well, I have treated you unfairly," Benihime said bowing.

" It seems we've both been treated unfairly by Kurasawa-sama, Toyoma-san," Shoji said.

With that both of them made there way to the stair and started for the front entrance, both having learned something about the other. Benihime was far easier to deal with in this state, but Shoji was still somewhat haunted by the image of Benihime trying her hardest to kill him. Shoji wondered how much of a yokai's personality was determined by their nature. Did Benihime have absolutely no control over her thirst for vengeance because she was a yuki-onna? Was her old fashion manner also due to her being a yuki-onna? Yayaka seemed to have control over her nature, she seemed to be actively upping her sexuality around Shoji, tempting him for her own amusement.

" Hey Matsumoto-san, you punk, I want to talk to you," Tanahashi Keiji said. He was standing outside of the front entrance, his two stooges Kanto and Tobe next to him. Shoji had been too lost in thought and hadn't noticed Benihime silently breaking away from him, she probably went to her locker, which meant she wasn't around to save Shoji.