Onihunter Yuna 2

51 A Bald-headed Stranger (Present)

Machiko twitched back in her chair. "I'm sorry. I'm just so excited."

"I know." A weary smile appeared on Midori's face. "I'm glad for your concern, okay? But you don't need to mother me all the time."

"Hm... Ken and I are trying to get pregnant for months and it just doesn't work. I often talk to my mother and sister about it, and they give me advice. And then you're suddenly pregnant." Embarrassed Machiko looked at her hands. "I'm just fully in baby-mode. And you have nobody... well... you are all alone. I want to be there for you."

The guardian of the Masuda girls came to the other side of the bar and hugged her best friend. "I understand you. And I'm glad I have you, Ma-chan."

"Then you're not mad at me?" the other nurse asked.

"No. Of course not." The pregnant woman broke away from her. "I'm writing myself sick and then I'll go home. See you tomorrow."

"I'll be off tomorrow." Machiko grinned guiltily.

"Okay." Midori grabbed one of her entry forms and wrote down why she wanted to go home earlier. "See you."

"No hot water, okay?" Eye rolling, the green eyed marched to the locker room. "Midori-chan! No hot water, got it?" Machiko called after her.

After changing, Midori quickly went to the elevator. She checked out at the front desk and rummaged in her shoulder bag for her cell phone to call Yuna. As she walked toward the exit, a bald man in a fancy suit caught her eye and stood up aiming for her. He looked directly at her, so she sidestepped slightly and quickened her pace.

"Excuse me," his soft voice sounded. The nurse stopped and eyed him uncertainly. "Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Shinji Shiba. I am the owner of the funeral home Shiba." He bowed deeply.

"Um... good evening, Shiba-san."

He straightened up and gave her a friendly smile. "You are Midori Omura, if I'm not mistaken."

"How do you know that?" the black-haired wondered.

"If you would give me a few minutes of your precious time, I'll explain everything to you, Omura-san." He studied her pale face with interest, while her thoughts, dreams, and cares ran slowly but steadily like fresh honey into his mind. "I don't want to keep you from urgent business."

Slightly at a loss she squinted at her cell phone, which she held in her left hand, then nodded and put it back in her bag. "Alright then. Speak."

Again the undertaker bowed. "Thank you, Omura-san."

"Nevermind."

"Well, as I said, I am the owner of the funeral home Shiba. Yuna Masuda hired us for the rearing ceremony and the funeral of Yoshiro Takagi," he said.

"Why your company?"

Shinji nodded. "A very good question. Takagi-sama was a friend of mine and handled the burial of the deceased Masuda family through my company. Apparently Yuna Masuda was satisfied with our performance, so she asked us for help."

"Okay. And what do you want from me?" As soon as she heard Takagi-sama, her thoughts slid straight to her beloved Yoshiro.

The eyes of the Oni were almost sparkling as he processed the new information. He had already come up with a little story, but what he now learned played directly into his hands. "I am here to ask for your forgiveness, Omura-san." He bowed again.

The nurse blinked in amazement. "What? Why?"

"It's extremely uncomfortable, but with deep regret I must confess that one of my employees made a grave mistake for which, of course, I take full responsibility." He blinked at her guiltily.

"I don't really understand what you're talking about," confessed the pregnant woman.

"Masuda-san had instructed me to invite you to the commemoration of Yoshiro Takagi. It doesn't diminish my guilt in the least, but as you may have heard, it was a very delicate event with many high-ranking guests." The black-haired one nodded in understanding. "Anyway, we lost your contact information, and I had failed to check the guest list closely. That's why you were not invited, even though Masuda-san had specifically requested it." He bowed down again. "I humbly apologize, Omura-san."

Midori swallowed. As she looked down at the back of the man's head, her thoughts circled around the day of Yoshiro's wake. Now she remembered that Yuna had already mentioned this Shinji Shiba, but he had not been present at Yoshiro's funeral. But she herself and the two Masuda girls, on the other hand. And a gravedigger named Ichiro Nakata.

"Yuna-chan blamed herself," she said to the man.

He straightened up and looked at her. "I understand. That suits Masuda-san." He smiled embarrassed. "She preferred to blame herself instead of exposing me and my company. She is a truly wonderful girl."

"So it wasn't Yuna's fault?"

"Not at all. I alone take full responsibility for this shame," the undertaker assured her.

"I understand. Thank you for taking the time to make that clear. And thank you for your apology. I accept it."

"If there is anything I can do for you to relieve your pain, please let me know."

The nurse looked at the man. If he really was who he claimed to be, then she wondered why Yoshiro was said to be friends with this man. For Haruka Narusegawa, a personal friendship made sense as she was the most important person in the city from a political point of view and Yoshiro was also an important person. They were in the same circles.

But why would a billionaire and philanthropist be friends with a man who belonged to an outlaw profession? Of course, Yoshiro probably didn't share those reservations, but still it didn't fit rightly. Unless there was a connection that was outside official channels. If Shiba-san was also an Oni, that would be a plausible explanation. Had his eyes just widened?

After a brief hesitation, the pregnant woman began to speak, "May I ask you something strange, Shiba-san? And please don't think of me as crazy after that."

Quickly, Shinji nodded. "I urge you, Omura-san."

She took a deep breath, then asked in a lowered voice, "Are you also an Oni?"