s.c.s. ☆ j.jh ☆ ayakashi series | ✔

prologue [four]

You'd never been anywhere but the dining area and now found yourself at the beginning of a short hallway. There was the bottom of a flight of stairs, one closed door at the end, and another doorway on your right open to let a sweet smell float out.

Stepping into the open doorway, you were in the kitchen. It was small, one oven and stove, refrigerator, and a few other appliances. Simple, but one could make most anything in here with enough skill. Johnny wasn't actively cooking, instead leaning against the island in the middle of the room.

He caught your eyes, warm smile returning as he gestured to the stool caddy-corner to him, "Sit, little lady."

As soon as you had sat down, he moved to the oven, pulling out a baking sheet from within. There were a dozen cookies on the tray, and he set them aside for a moment to return to you.

"You like chocolate chip?"

"Sure," you agreed, the wonderful smell now hitting your nostrils with greater strength than from out in the hallway.

"They'll be ready to eat in a couple minutes. Nice and warm right from the oven."

You once again went to the notes app on your phone, and this time weren't made fun of for it. Johnny was standing quietly, patiently waiting for you to speak again.

"The café looks a lot better."

"Thanks. And sorry about your meal being disturbed. The Wraiths usually pay and leave without making a scene like that, but I have a feeling Renjun agitated them a bit."

"Oh, we didn't even get to pay you!" You went to reach into your backpack for your wallet, but once again Johnny waved you off.

"Don't worry about it, I'm just glad you're safe."

"Renjun's right, you're going to go bankrupt at this rate," you scoffed, but didn't have enough in you to fight him on it. Instead, he'd set up the perfect segue for your most pressing question, "Speaking of my safety: why did you get Jaemin out of the restaurant but not me that day? He was going to take me with him, but you stopped him. Why?"

"I figured you'd be asking me that, you're a bright little lady," Johnny commented, and when you offered no reply, he continued. "How much did Jeno and Renjun explain to you?"

"Jeno told me the basics about Ayakashi and Wraiths; said that him, you, Renjun, and Sicheng were Ayakashi, but he couldn't tell me exactly what kind. Renjun confirmed that he's a Satori, and when I asked him the same question I just asked you, he told me to talk to you. So now I'm talking to you."

"Jeno must have mentioned being able to sense other Ayakashi's presence, right?"

Not liking where this seemed to be going, you hesitantly answered, "Yes. But I'm not an Ayakashi, there's no way you're about to say that."

"No, you're not an Ayakashi," he assured you with an amused chuckle. "But you're not an ordinary human either."

"What am I, then?" You asked, not entirely believing him. You'd already opened your mind to accept Ayakashi existing, you weren't sure how much wider it could go to accept whatever he was about to tell you.

"An Onmyoji," Johnny told you very nonchalantly, returning to the baking tray and placing the cookies on a plate.

He set the plate in front of you, and they looked absolutely mouthwatering. But you couldn't get distracted now.

"And what is that?"

"A Diviner, kind of like a wizard, I guess? That's the best comparison I can make right now."