May 16th, 2027
The sky was pink from the setting sun. Shuei was wearing a tank top and jeans, bandana on his head, and thick gloves. He breathed quickly through his mouth as he carefully set the roof shingle. He released it and raised its hands. It didn't budge. "Oh thank God," he sighed, grabbing at his chest.
"Looks good," Nozomu said from his position where he was sprawled on his back on a blanket. His arms were behind his head and he was looking towards the sky. Kishi was beside him sitting straight up playing a game on his phone.
"Thanks for helping," Shuei replied sarcastically, wiping at his forehead.
"Hey, we offered moral support," Nozomu pointed out. He was still looking towards the sky. "Doesn't that count?"
"Regardless, the roof looks good," Kishi said, glancing up briefly from his phone. "Kazuhisa-ouji won't have much to complain about, I think."
"Well, it doesn't make any difference to me," Shuei sighed, brushing himself off as he carefully stood. Neither Nozomu nor Kishi moved from their spots. As annoying as it was when Kishi started following him around, in the last couple of weeks both Nozomu and Kishi had taken to following him around in their free time. It irritated Shuei severely, and made him feel like he was being spied on.
Why are they following me around anyway?! San's technically their charge, isn't he?! They should be following HIM!
"Are either of you going to be useful for once?!" Shuei snapped in frustration. "I just spent two hours resetting loose shingles by hand, and you both just sat there and did nothing!"
"But that's your job, Shuei-san," Kishi pointed out calmly.
"And what's YOUR job?!" Shuei growled back.
"He's a model," Nozomu responded cheekily. "And I'm a professional college student."
Shuei muttered a couple of swear words under his breath. "I'm done, I'm not doing anything else tonight. Thanks for nothing."
"Hey, we can do something for you," Nozomu said, sitting up partially.
"Like what?!"
"We can answer any questions you have about Seirei-Kai."
"I don't care," Shuei retorted. He turned to leave, but then stopped and turned around. "No. Wait, I do have some questions."
"Sure, go ahead."
"Are all Seishin ethnically Japanese?"
"I don't know," Kishi said, turning back to his phone.
"We look Japanese though and speak the language, don't we?" Nozomu asked.
"And another thing," Shuei said. "Is Japanese the native language of Seikei-Kai, or do you have your own language?"
"Well we did have our own language a long time ago, but that went away with time," Nozomu said. "Earth is the only plane Seirei-Kai is connected to, and the only Gateway between the two worlds is found in Japan. The population of Seirei-Kai was always smaller than Earth's, so it makes sense that Seishin would adapt to the Japanese language, wouldn't it?"
"No one has yet to tell me how you guys lay eggs," Shuei said.
"We don't lay eggs," Nozomu said. It was clear from his tone that he was offended by the suggestion. "Two Seishin combine their mana together to create a life. But in the absence of a womb the new life cultivates inside of a spiritual egg, and the baby hatches when they are ready to be born."
"And HOW is that possible?! How can you create a baby with mana?!"
Nozomu grinned at him. "Wouldn't you like to know?"
"That's why I'm asking!"
"Nozomu," Kishi said suddenly, looking skyward.
"Hmm?" Nozomu looked up and Shuei looked up as well. He couldn't see anything, even after squinting. Maybe if it was daylight, then—
A burst of fire erupted in the air meters above their heads, and Shuei cried out in shock. "WAUGH!" he lost his footing and fell backwards.
"Shit—Shuei-san!" Nozomu shouted.
Before Shuei could fall off the roof though, his back impacted with a soft but unyielding surface. "Why are you so accident prone?"
"Ah, San with the rescue again!" Nozomu laughed.
"Unsurprising," Kishi muttered.
Shuei tried to pull away from San, but his feet slipped on the shingles and he nearly fell over again. "Careful!" San said sharply. "Or do you want to fall off the roof?!"
"No, I don't," Shuei retorted, but he felt heat on his face and he was glad that their surroundings were darkening with the setting sun. San felt warm and solid against him, and Shuei had to resist the urge to melt into his arms. Please, just let me go!
San lowered him to the roof until he was seated. "Just be mindful of your surroundings," he said, moving away from Shuei and towards Nozomu and Kishi. "There you two are. Otou-san was looking for you."
"Of course," Nozomu sighed, carefully standing on the blanket. "Is this about the evaluation?"
"Does he want us to stay with you, San?" Kishi asked.
San shook his head. "I'll only be down the street. But Otou-san wants you both remain on the grounds while the—Inspector is here," he said haltingly.
"He did ask me to take off from work that day, so I may as well make myself useful," Kishi said, standing up as well. "Did Ouji-sama say whether or not I need to wash the dye out of my hair? Or if I should leave my contacts off?"
"I don't think he will care," San responded.
"And what do I need to do?" Shuei asked, feeling awkward at being left out of their conversation.
"Just be on your best behavior and show off all your hard work to Ouji-sama and you'll be fine," Nozomu said cheerfully.
"Whatever." Shuei crawled across the shingles towards the ladder. "I'm going to go take a shower before dinner."
"We'll follow shortly after," San said over his shoulder.
Oh good, they're going to leave me alone. Shuei smirked as he climbed down the ladder. This Inspector BETTER not complain about me. Even if he IS San's uncle if he's disrespectful to me then I'll be disrespectful right back!
*
"San—" Nozomu began.
"I know," San said, looking towards the sky. He could still see bits of debris falling towards the ground. "I saw it when I was climbing the ladder."
"I thought I saw something earlier but I wasn't sure," Nozomu said with a wince. "I only knew that my eyes weren't playing tricks on me when Kishi saw it too. I'm sorry."
"It's fine," San said, glancing towards the other two. "With how high it was, it wouldn't have been able to pick up audio. You got it before it could get lower. Good work." Nozomu smiled at the compliment.
"If they sent a drone though, then that means they're back in Kyoto," Kishi pointed out. "The timing is suspicious, especially since Kazuhisa-ouji is scheduled to arrive in two days."
San nodded grimly. "Let's go and warn my fathers. Otou-san can notify the Ten'nō and the Ten'nō can decide if—he, should come or if his visit should be delayed."
~*~
The hotel room was decent. A suite with two queen-sized beds and a sofa to sleep on. Kōno and Arai had claimed the beds before Wada could, and while Wada wasn't happy about it he knew they had important work to do. The three of them sat on that same sofa, watching their live feed pixelate and then go black completely. "They destroyed the drone," Arai announced unhelpfully, setting down the controller beside the open laptop.
"Of course they destroyed the drone!" Kōno snapped, gesturing angrily to the screen. "You flew it too close!"
"I didn't see It," Wada said. He grabbed the mouse and hit rewind on the video. "Can we zoom in?"
"There's no point," Kōno said harshly. "They wouldn't have brought It outside anyways! There's just the four on the roof! Three of them were looking up at the door when we lost the feed, so it could have been any one of them who destroyed the drone!"
"Wait," Arai said, frowning. He zoomed on the video. "The boy wearing the bandana on his head. Doesn't he look familiar?"
Both Kōno and Wada leaned in close. "...No," Wada said. "I've never seen his face before."
"Here, just—wait a moment." Arai pushed his glasses up his nose and pulled out his cell phone. In a web browser he typed in "The Tragedy at Shibuya Crossing". "I think that kid was at the memorial service in Tokyo," he said.
"Let's see," Kōno said. The trio leaned in close as the page loaded. It was an article about the five-year anniversary of the traffic accident, and the photograph at the web page showed a group of people standing together. "There!" Arai said, pointing to the teenage boy in a suit in the picture. "That's him! That's the same boy in this feed!" He pointed to the paused video on the laptop.
"Wait," Wada said, snapping his fingers as the realization came to him. "One of the Monbons died in that accident, didn't they?! So that's his son?!"
"It must be," Kōno said, looking between the photograph on the phone and the image of the boy on the laptop. "They have their new Gatekeeper."
"Monbons are still human like the rest of us so they can die easily," Arai said. "But he's the only child of the Monbon who died who showed up to the memorial service. That means he only had one child, right?"
"Yes," Kōno said with a smile. "Which means this boy—" he jabbed a finger at the boy's face on the laptop. "Is the last Monbon. He may be just as valuable as It!"
"Nothing is more valuable than It," Wada interjected. "But you have a point. If that kid is the last Monbon, we can use him as leverage to get It. They can always get another one of those, but they can't get another Monbon."
"We should call Honbu before we make a move," Arai said. "They will want to know that the last Monbon in existence is home in Kyoto."
"Agreed," Kōno said. "They'll want to know what's going on before we go after It. But we don't have a lot of time and we'll only get one chance to go after It. If try and fail, we won't get another opportunity."
"That's because we'll be dead," Wada said. "The akuma never let any of us live after encounters."
"So we'll be careful," Arai said. "When shall we strike?"
"May 18th," Kōno said, standing up from the sofa.
"That's...oddly specific, Kōno," Wada said.
"It's smart," Kōno said, sitting down on the bed he had claimed. "It's on a Tuesday so most of the akuma will be out of the house, pretending to be humans at their jobs. That will leave the Monbon, and the uke of the akuma Prince at the house." he scoffed in disgust. "Possibly that one akuma who does those catering events throughout the city. But those pathetic men don't stand a chance against us!"
"We shouldn't underestimate them, though," Arai said. "They are Seishin—"
"They are foul creatures invading our world," Kōno interjected sharply. "They won't stand a chance against us!"
"We should leave a scrambler near the gate," Wada said. "To distort the camera at the gate. Even if it's just the Monbon and two weakling Sei—akuma," he corrected himself at Kōno's glare. "There, they are still stronger than us. We'll need to seize the Monbon immediately and have the akuma voluntarily surrender It to us. Then, we'll need to flee as quick as possible."
"We should kill the Monbon before we go," Arai said thoughtfully. "That should provide enough of a diversion for us to slip away easily."
"Good point," Kōno said. "I'll call Honbu to let them know what's going on, and then Wada—go to the compound after midnight tonight to slip the scrambler near the house. If we do it tonight, it won't be suspicious to them that they are having video feed problems. Then on Tuesday...we can finally get an egg for INOCHI."
Both Arai and Wada smiled at the prospect. "INOCHI will appreciate our hard work," Wada said. "We'll be sure to get promotions from this!"
"If we can bring one of their eggs to them, then we'll get more than a promotion," Kōno said, pulling out his cell phone. "So we know what we need to do. Arai, do you still have your contact who can get us hollow-point bullets?"
"Of course," Arai said, pulling out his phone. "I can arrange to pick them up tomorrow."
"Then we're set," Wada said, looking at the screen. By this time on Tuesday night...we'll have a real Seishin egg in our possession.
~*~
May 18th, 2027
Akiyo frowned as he pressed buttons on the module. "The camera isn't working again today. There's distortion in the feed."
"Same as yesterday?" Haruto asked, coming up behind him.
"This is suspicious," Taichi said, looking at Renjiro. "A drone was caught flying over the house on Sunday, then the front camera suddenly stops working?"
Renjiro said nothing, but looked towards the front door.
"Perhaps we should postpone the visit," Joji said, stepping forward. "These conditions are—"
"No," Renjiro said, turning to look at everyone. "Both of my brothers denied my request to postpone the evaluation when I told them about the drone. Knowing the Ten'nō and Kazuhisa both, they will still deny my request if I tell them that the camera isn't working."
"They don't have security cameras in the Imperial Palace in Seirei-Kai, do they?" Anna asked softly.
"The Imperial Palace doesn't need cameras, Anna," Haruto told her, folding his arms over his chest. "So long as the Great Shield is active, the palace will be protected."
"Kazuhisa is about to arrive, so we won't be able to call the police while he's here," Renjiro said. "Let's just make sure the evaluation goes smoothly and then we'll call the police to secure the exterior. Akiyo?"
"Yes, Ouji-sama?" Akiyo stepped forward.
"After we welcome Kazuhisa, secure your room and guard your egg," Renjiro said. "If it's those same foul people again, then their target will be Hitomu."
"I'll kill them before they get my son!" Joji snarled.
"If it's INOCHI again, then we will have no choice but to kill them," Haruto muttered.
Anna sucked in a sharp breath but Taichi took her into her arms and held her close. "Remember when Kishi was born?" he murmured to her. "I don't mean to distress you, but if we don't want a repeat of that, then we need to be vigilant."
Anna let out another gasp and squeezed her eyes shut. "I...understand," she said quietly.
INOCHI was a biotechnology research group of humans who had somehow found out about the existence of Seishin and Seirei-Kai. And they knew how Seishin currently reproduced. They were understandably very interested in the origins and...biology of Seishin. But they didn't see Seishin as sentient people. They saw them as demonic creatures. Akuma was what the people of INOCHI called them. Because of this, members of INOCHI felt justified in kidnapping Seishin and dissecting them to learn their secrets. Renjiro knew that there was not many Seishin left, but INOCHI had gotten their hands on three Seishin previously and all three died while in their "care".
Maybe they don't actually believe that we're demons, Renjiro thought. Maybe that's what they tell themselves so that they can sleep better at night. But we can't leave a single member alive. We did that before, and we paid dearly.
When Anna had given birth to Kishi, members of INOCHI entered the hospital and tried to steal him from the prenatal ward. They were captured, but it had been decided to let the human police deal with them. This proved to be a costly mistake, as the members escaped police custody, re-entered the hospital, and actually managed to steal Kishi and leave hospital property with him. Thankfully they did not get far, and this time Renjiro made sure that not a single member was left alive.
If it's INOCHI, then we're in trouble. But I know my brothers, and I know that no matter what they won't cancel this.
"Everyone looks so serious!" Nozomu announced as he entered the corridor. "We got Shuei-san all dressed up in nice clothes and all!"
Renjiro checked his watch and sighed heavily. "Kazuhisa will be here any minute," he announced. "Where's San? He needs to get going."
Haruto swiftly grabbed his hand. "We can't send our son out there if INOCHI is in the area," he whispered harshly.
"INOCHI?!" Nozomu exclaimed. "Aw damn it, I knew that drone belonged to them!"
"INOCHI?" The group jumped when they saw San approach. The teenager didn't look bothered. "So, they're back," he said blandly.
"San, I want you to stay home today," Haruto said, approaching his son. "You can stay in your room while—"
San interrupted him with the shake of his head. "Can't, Papa. I got called in to work. I need to make a delivery."
"San—"
"I'll be fine, Papa. If INOCHI is here then they won't care about me. They'll be after Hitomu—or Shuei. You should keep an eye on them both and not worry about me."
"But—"
"San."
Both San and Haruto looked up at Renjiro approached. "If you run into INOCHI, then don't hesitate," Renjiro said. "Let them see what you are capable of."
San frowned but he slowly nodded. "I will, Otou-san."
Haruto was about to say something but San grabbed his shoulder. "If he sees me Papa, he'll fail Shuei automatically. I can't be here. I need to leave."
Haruto swallowed hard but nodded and gave San a quick hug. "I love you. Be careful."
"I will." San hugged him back.
"I'll leave with you, San," Anna said, stepping forward. "I need to film a morning scene today. They won't attack you if I'm with you, will they?"
Taichi tensed but Renjiro raised a hand. "Anna's right. Even monsters like INOCHI won't risk hurting a famous actress. That will bring unwanted attention to them."
"Then we'll need to go now," San said. "I need to make my delivery."
"That's fine," Anna said with a smile. "My scene is short so I'm going to drive myself there today. I'll drop you off along the way."
The group saw San and Anna off at the door, but Renjiro felt sick to his stomach watching his son leave. I wish it—wasn't like this. But I can't change Kazuhisa's mind, and Kazuhisa can be extremely irrational when he's angry. Maybe I should call Eisuke—
A hand caught his and he turned to see Haruto. He wasn't looking at him though but at the front door as it closed. "You told San that it was okay."
"Yes," Renjiro said. "I want him to act if he needs to, and to not feel guilt about it. This will only be for a few short hours."
"I know, Anata." Haruto squeezed his hand.
*
Wada watched the luxury car leave through the gate from down the road through a pair of binoculars. "Only one vehicle has left," he said. "That's not normal. More vehicles usually leave by this time."
"Are more of them staying home?" Arai wondered. "Maybe they know we're coming?"
"If that's the case, then we'll need to withdraw," Wada said. "If the Prince—"
"We can't withdraw," Kōno interjected, lifting his handgun. "I already told the Chief we were getting the egg today. We can't leave Kyoto empty-handed this time. We have to do this today."
"If they outnumber us then we'll die," Arai pointed out. "Shooting them doesn't immediately kill an akuma."
"But it will kill the Monbon," Wada pointed out.
"That's correct," Kōno said, smiling sadistically. "Bullets won't immediately kill an akuma—but hollow-point ones will hurt them enough so we can get this job done."
*
Shuei looked down at himself and frowned. He was dressed in a red kimono cardigan with white undershirt, and black pants. "Where did you get these clothes?" he asked, looking up at Kishi.
"Félicité," Kishi responded. He was dressed in causal but fashionable clothes. "I have a contract with them to wear their clothes in public. The set you're wearing was designed by a middle-schooler."
Shuei made a face. "Really?"
"He's actually really good at what he does," Kishi said.
"A-And you said you have a contract to just...wear clothes in public?"
"Yes," Kishi said. "I'm a walking advertisement. I go out wearing specific clothing brands and when people see me wearing these brands in public it will inspire them to buy them."
"Well, that's..." Shuei shook his head. "I wish I could get paid for just wearing clothes."
"You haven't dyed your hair recently," Kishi said.
Shuei shrugged. "Was I supposed to?"
"I don't know. I'm still getting used to seeing you with black hair."
There was a swift knock at the door. "Shuei-kun, it's time," Haruto called through the door.
"Ugh, let's get this over with," Shuei said, turning to leave the room. Haruto looked tense when Shuei saw him, but Shuei wasn't surprised. He knew that Haruto hadn't exactly been looking forward to this visit from the Inspector. Shuei wasn't really sure what the best outcome would be for him, but he wanted all of the work he had put into the house to pay off.
He'd better appreciate it, Shuei thought. He walked past the bathroom, which had been a nightmare weeks before but now looked pristine, and smiled to himself. Well, San helped me with THAT room so there's that. Should I bring that up?
Shuei entered his room, and he saw that most of the tenants were in there dressed in suits. Only San and Anna were absent. The two fusuma had been opened and the door was visible. "Shuei, come forward," Renjiro said, waving to him. Unlike the others he was wearing a black and white hakama. "Stand here." He directed Shuei to the center of the room. "You will be the one to formally receive the Inspector."
"Am I supposed to say anything specific to him?" Shuei asked, feeling foolish and irritated at being underprepared.
"Just be polite," Renjiro said. "And you do not need to refer to him as Ouji-sama, as he is not your prince. But Kazuhisa-sama should suffice."
Shuei nodded stiffly and faced the door. Renjiro stood beside him and Haruto stood directly behind them both. Behind Haruto stood Joji, Akiyo, Nozomu, Kishi, and Taichi in a row.
The door abruptly opened without any pomp or circumstance, but a pleasant perfumy smell filled Shuei's room. The doors swung inside, and Shuei saw one figure on each side pulling the door open. They were dressed in outfits that reminded Shuei strongly of bunraku puppeteers. He could not see their faces or any part of flesh on their bodies.
Then his gaze was drawn to the person standing in the center. An ethereally beautiful man who looked to be in his thirties, dressed in a long silver coat that reached his ankles. He appeared to glow under the gleam of the rocking lanterns down the hallway. His black hair appeared to be long, and it was tied in a loose ponytail with a silver tie. He held what appeared to be a clipboard in his left arm.
He had a beautiful face, but he was frowning, and his dark eyes with blue halos were hard and unfeeling. They held Shuei with a powerful stare. Shuei didn't know if he was glaring or just staring at him.
The two figures that looked like bunraku puppeteers knelt down and carefully removed the man's silver boots, replacing each foot with a house slipper before they slid back away from him. With his slippers now on, the man swiftly walked through the door and entered Shuei's room. Without pausing to acknowledge anyone in the room, he walked straight up to Shuei and stopped directly in front of him. He was taller than Shuei only slightly, but with his cold presence and hard eyes he seemed much bigger in the moment. Before him, the bunraku puppeteers lookalikes pushed the door closed, and the perfumy smell evaporated from the room.
Shuei could see why everyone was on edge about having this man at the house. There was no warmth from him.
"Kazuhisa," Renjiro spoke up, and Shuei jumped in shock. "Allow me to present Shuei Monbon, the new Gatekeeper. Shuei Monbon, this is Kazuhisa, the third-born prince of Seirei-Kai."
"A-Ah, hello," Shuei said, bowing deeply but stiffly. "It's—uh—nice to meet you."
Kazuhisa acknowledged his older brother with only a slight glance before looking at Shuei again. "Are you a coward like your father?" he asked. His voice was beautiful, but so very cold.
The tenants stirred. Shuei felt several muscles twitch and jump violently in his face as anger swept through his body. "Kazuhisa," Renjiro interjected, stepping forward. "That was very inappropriate to say to the Gatekeeper."
"He is prone to anger," Kazuhisa pointed out. "That is not a good attribute for a Gatekeeper."
"You insulted my father," Shuei hissed. He sucked in a breath when Kazuhisa's brow rose. "Kazuhisa-sama," he added belatedly. "W-Who wouldn't get angry from that?"
Kazuhisa turned fully away from Shuei and walked back towards the door. Shuei thought that he was leaving entirely, but then he grabbed the fusuma and pulled them shut over the door. Shuei saw the patch that he had made from where he had thrown his cell phone. "What is that?" Kazuhisa asked, pointing to the patch.
"A-An accident, Kazuhisa-sama," Shuei said.
"Really?" Kazuhisa asked disbelievingly, glancing at him over his shoulder. "Are you sure that this hole was not a product of an angry outburst from you?"
Shuei twitched again, but locked his jaw before he could say something he would regret. "This fusuma hides the Gateway," Kazuhisa pointed out. "It should be treated with the dignity and respect it deserves, Monbon. Do you not understand that?"
I hate you. The phrased vibrated in Shuei's mind. I hate you, I hate you, I hate you.
"I would like to remind you, Kazuhisa-ouji," Haruto announced loudly behind Shuei. "There is a record of Hogo-sama tearing down that same fusuma straight from the wall entirely. Yet Hogo-sama has been heralded as one of the greatest Gatekeepers to have ever existed. A simple hole in the fusuma hardly compares to that, I think. Don't you?"
Kazuhisa's eyes narrowed, and Shuei knew then that he hadn't been glaring at Shuei. The look he was giving Haruto now was definitely a glare. "Are you telling me how to think? You, a consort, telling a prince how to think?" his voice did not raise, but with the tension in the room he may as well have been yelling.
"Clear the room!" Renjiro announced sharply.
"Uh—" Shuei began.
"Not you—" Renjiro gestured to him. "But everyone else leave!"
The tenants quickly hurried from the room. Haruto had returned Kazuhisa's glare with a glare of his own but didn't say anything more before he left. The shoji doors were barely closed shut before Renjiro advanced upon Kazuhisa. "Don't you ever speak to him that way again, Kazuhisa!" he rasped at his younger brother. "Haruto is my husband, and you will give him the respect he deserves!"
Kazuhisa didn't look intimidated by Renjiro's anger. "I tolerate your husband, Aniki, because you love him," he retorted. "But I don't like him and I will never like him."
"I don't care if you don't like him," Renjiro said harshly. "You will treat Haruto with respect and you will not talk to him like that in front of other people! Especially my subordinates! Now do you understand me?!"
"Um—" Shuei gestured awkwardly behind himself towards the door. "Maybe I should—"
"Shuei, you will remain standing there!" Renjiro snapped at him. He turned back to Kazuhisa. "And you are here as an Inspector to give an unbiased evaluation of him! He is the last Monbon! I don't think I need to tell you how important this is! So you will treat him with the same respect as to be expected of his position! Do you understand me?!"
Kazuhisa stared down his brother for a long moment. The he exhaled sharply and he rubbed at his temple with his free hand. "You are right, Aniki. I apologize, Monbon-kun, for my behavior towards you."
"It's okay, Kazuhisa-sama," Shuei responded. Renjiro gave him a look, and Shuei bristled when he realized what Renjiro wanted from him. "And I—apologize too," he said through clenched teeth.
"You can bring everyone back in now," Kazuhisa said dismissively.
"Will you apologize to Haruto?" Renjiro asked.
"No," Kazuhisa said. "And you know that he wouldn't accept it anyway."
Renjiro looked angry but turned towards the door. "Come back inside!" he called.
The tenants returned to the room, and Shuei saw that Haruto looked subtly smug. "We've wasted enough time," Kazuhisa said. "The evaluation begins now."
"Wait, now?" Shuei asked.
"Shuei Monbon, name everyone in this room," Kazuhisa quickly commanded him. He had a pen ready at his clipboard.
"What?" Shuei looked around the room, but he knew everyone's name and quickly gave them to Kazuhisa.
Kazuhisa wrote something down on the clipboard. "What is the name of the Emperor of Seirei-Kai?"
Shuei gaped at him. He didn't know the answer to that. "Uh—"
"Shuei has not been introduced to the Ten'nō yet, Kazuhisa," Renjiro said.
"All right," Kazuhisa said, though he still wrote something down on the clipboard. "Then I won't bother asking if you know the Imperial Consort—"
"Chiyako...sama," Shuei quickly added. "I only know that though because of his idiot nephew."
"Hey!" Nozomu protested.
Kazuhisa's mouth quirked, as though he was almost about to smile. "Yes. Riku is a foolish one, isn't he?"
Shuei braced himself for another question but Kazuhisa walked past him. "I want to see the property with you. Alone, Monbon-kun."
"Alone?" Shuei asked.
"Yes," Kazuhisa responded. "We'll walk the perimeter together. Without anyone else. If you're not able to do that—"
"I can," Shuei said, stepping forward. "I'm ready whenever you are. Here, I'll take the lead."
"Smart move."
Renjiro and Haruto exchanged a glance, but neither said anything as they left. "I'll go to Hitomu now," Akiyo said, hurrying from the room.
"We didn't warn him about INOCHI," Haruto said softly.
"Did you, Nozomu? Kishi?" Renjiro looked at the two.
"A-Ah, were we supposed to?" Nozomu asked meekly.
"He'll be fine," Kishi said. "If he knew about INOCHI then he would have been more nervous than he was."
"That's...a fair point," Haruto said. He looked at Renjiro. "So long as they don't leave the property—which they won't—then they should be fine."
Renjiro nodded. "We'll keep an eye on them, though." He didn't show it on his face, but he was uneasy.
Shuei is quick to his emotions...but so is Kazuhisa. And Kazuhisa does not act rationally when he is angry.
*
Kazuhisa seemed impressed with the structure of the complex and the state of the foundation as they walked the perimeter of the house. "The house looks good," Kazuhisa said. "I had heard that Hogo-sama had not been able to keep the house once he fell ill. This is better than what I expected, Monbon-kun."
"Thank you?" Shuei didn't mean to phrase it as a question. He looked over his shoulder. "I've had help to keep it together."
"Really? From whom?"
"Sa—"
"Say!" Kazuhisa shouted loudly, his voice echoing around them. "I've noticed you've been observing our surroundings. Why?"
His demeanor has change. I was about to say San's name, but he seemed to realize it and stopped me. Why?
But he didn't ask that question and instead decided to answer his. "Ah...I noticed that you came here alone, Kazuhisa-sama."
"Yes, I did." Kazuhisa started walking faster, and Shuei had to run to keep up with him.
"Um—do you have bodyguards, Kazuhisa-sama?" Shuei asked.
"I do not." Kazuhisa's voice was chipped as they reached the front courtyard.
"Can I ask wh—"
"They're dead," Kazuhisa responded bluntly and harshly. And now he was glaring at Shuei. "All of them. There was no one to replace them, so I have no bodyguards. Does that satisfy you?"
Shuei swallowed thickly as he stared back at him. "Um—I'm—"
"Don't apologize," Kazuhisa interjected. "I've heard enough apologies related to that and I don't want to hear any more. It's approaching noon, can we move on?"
He was irritated again. Shuei had a sinking feeling in his stomach. This...isn't going well, is it?
A door chime startled Shuei and he jumped violently. He looked towards the closed gate that led out to the street. W-What?
"Ah, good," Kazuhisa said. "I can assess you on how you respond to people who come to the property. As you must be aware, only a select few are allowed to enter the premises. Go and greet them, Monbon-kun."
Instead of appraoching the gates though, Shuei cupped his hands around his mouth. "Who is it?" he shouted.
"Delivery!" came the reply from the other side of the wall.
"We're not expecting any deliveries today," Shuei said, lowering his hands.
"What difference does that make, Monbon-kun?" Kazuhisa asked. "Go and answer the door. The evaluation is still underway."
"Ah—" Shuei gestured towards the front door. "P-Perhaps I should get Kadokawa-san, and ask him if—"
"Monbon-kun, you are the Gatekeeper," Kazuhisa interrupted him harshly. "This is your job, not Renjiro's. It is your responsibility to greet the people who are out there!"
"Hello, hello!" the voice on the other side of the wall called out again.
"Now, go and greet them," Kazuhisa told Shuei. "This is an important part of your evaluation. If you don't do this, then I will be compelled to give you a very bad score! Now, hurry up and do it Monbon-kun!"
"All right, all right!" Shuei stormed over to the double door. "Stupid asshole," he grumbled to himself. "Who does he think he is?"
Shuei unlocked the gate and started to pull it open, just as he heard Renjiro scream, "STOP!"
The doors only opened a crack, but Shuei still found himself face-to-face with the barrel of a gun.