Kenji was patrolling through the streets on his motorbike. The Oni with the firepower was completely enveloped by fur, which was not visible however, thanks to his leather suit and the natural, every Oni adhering cloaking spell.
It had been uncomfortably quiet in the past few months since Tirr was defeated. He had imagined the job as a sheriff to be more exciting. Shinji said he should be glad that it was this quiet. The furry Oni had to admit, that he didn't have the slightest glimmer of how Yoshiro had handled this sheriff thing. He had once tried to talk with Yuna about it, but the girl wanted nothing to do with it and to be left alone.
Now, however, he happened to be near the pension. He had to turn left at the next traffic light and follow the road. He could pay a visit to Ayumi. They hadn't seen each other since Yoshiro's burial. Which he regretted a little bit. The fiery redhead had a lot of temper, and they had spent a couple of exciting hours together. A quick visit to refresh their acquaintance couldn't hurt.
A few dozens of meters from the pension, he discovered the typical pigtails of the older Masuda girl. She walked along the sidewalk alone. Where was she going?
Kenji raced forward and made a full braking. The squeaking of the tires frightened the high-school girl and irritated she stared at the motorcyclist. He noticed immediately that she had taken a stance to defend herself. She could claim whatever she wanted, but she was still a fighter.
Grinning, he flipped the mirrored visor of his helmet. "Hey, Yuna-chan."
The girl let out a deep sigh and rolled her eye. "Hey."
"Everything okay with you?"
The blue-haired turned away and went on. "Leave me alone."
Indignant, he followed her with his gaze. Yuna had never been known for her courtesy, but usually she didn't react this dismissively. He turned with a U-turn and rolled beside her. "What's up?"
The girl ignored him and looked straight ahead. "Go away, Kenji-kun."
"Come on. I was just in the area. Actually, I wanted to see Ayumi."
"You can't go there," she growled.
"Why not? Does she have a visitor?" The Oni continued to roll on next to the high-school girl. "Maybe a man?"
"No. My sister moved in today. The pension is taboo for Oni."
"Come on. We're friends."
The girl stopped and turned to him. "No! My agreement with Haruka is clear! No Oni!" She stared at him furiously and clenched her fists.
"Okay. Relax." He stopped. "What's happening? Why are you out when your sister is here?"
"It's none of your business."
"Good." He shrugged. "I wanted to go hunting. Do you want to accompany me?"
"No. I'm finished with that. I've made that clear enough." With a repulsive gesture she underlined her statement. "I don't do this anymore. I want a normal life."
"All right. Your choice. Can you give me some tips?" asked the fur carrier.
"Tips?" She looked at him questioningly. What did he want from her?
"For the hunt. How did Yoshiro do that?"
"He searched for them."
"Yes, but how? I have no idea how he had done that." The red-glowing eyes of the Oni actually looked pleading. The girl studied him intently as she pondered.
"He was looking for reports of attacks in the newspapers. But if you just want to kill something, visit the abandoned amusement park, or the big forest. There is a high chance of beasts running around."
"Cool. Thank you."
"No problem." The girl went on.
The Oni rolled on and caught up. "Everything okay with you?"
"Mhm. I've got a lot of things to do."
"It's certainly not easy when you have to manage all these things."
She looked at him. "Yes. It's quite stressful."
"How about we take on a couple of beasts together? To relax." The Oni grinned amused.
"No. Thanks, Kenji-kun. I have to go back before they worry about me."
"Well, well. Greet Ayumi from me, yes?"
"Okay."
"See you, Yuna-chan."
She glanced at him uncomfortably. "I hope not,Kenji-kun."
He smiled innocently, slammed his visor down and took off. The high-school girl looked after him until he disappeared around the next corner. He should have known better. He had been there when Yuna had negotiated with Haruka.
"Well, you are a member of our community, but I can't force you to do anything. As long as you stick to our rules, you have nothing to fear, Yuna-chan." Haruka Narusegawa, the leader of the Oni community, held her hands crossed in front of her on the table while she spoke. "I regret that you don't want to put your skills in our service, but I understand your situation. Maybe you'll change your mind one day. Our door will be open to you then."
The shapeshifter with the many other powers, as always wore a trouser suit, and had bound her black hair to a stern bun. She was not only the leader of the Oni community, but also the mayor of this town. In this person, a great deal of power of both worlds came together.
The blue-haired girl nodded and glanced at Shinji Shiba, the undertaker who was standing next to Haruka at the desk. As always, a friendly but non-committal smile graced his face. Friendly, if one could get around the fact that his mouth was filled with sharp shark teeth. His hairless skull was completely covered with red scales, like a lizard's. Within the Oni community he had an advisory function and seemed to be something like the number two behind Haruka Narusegawa. "I guess all has been said, right, Masuda-san?"
"Yes." Yuna rose from her chair.
She had her nervousness initially suppressed by her power, but the Oni insisted that Shinji Shiba could read her thoughts while they were negotiating. In essence, it was irrelevant to her. Should he check out her thoughts as much as he wanted. She had nothing to hide. And she could get through all her demands.
Yui would be safe. The Oni would stay away from her. Even better. They would make sure that Yui could lead a completely undisturbed life. That had been Yuna's greatest wish. She wanted to save Yui from this life and offer her the chance of a normal life - well as normal as it was still possible. Maybe her sister was also a Han'yō, but if she never came into contact with the Oni, her power would never awaken and she could lead a normal life. Something Yuna could never do again.
"That's bullshit, I tell you," Kenji shouted, shuffling on the other chair in Shinji Shiba's office. The others present gave him little attention. Politics was neither his strength nor his task.
"See it from the positive side, Kenji-kun. This is how you stay sheriff. No one will take the job from you," Shinji encouraged his friend.
"I would like to have a partner like Yuna. She could distract our opponents before I attack and roast them."
"And then I bring you new pants, or what?" The girl shook her head and smirked. "You'll be fine on your own."
"Still ... that stinks. We will not see each other anymore."
"Actually, I don't want to see you anymore," Yuna admitted.
Haruka cleared her throat. "There would be something else." The high-school girl looked at her questioningly. "I know you're friends with my daughter Nisha."
"Yes. So?"
"I hope she remains excluded from this rule. She likes you very much and often speaks of you."
Yuna frowned. She had often thought about this, but hadn't made a definite decision so far. She also liked Nisha and she had introduced her to her sister. She had become a good friend. The cat girl couldn't be held responsible for being adopted by an Oni.
"Yes. She's not an Oni. And she's my friend."
"Good. Thank you. I hope, you know that I'll hear about you from time to time?"
The blue-haired shrugged. "We have a few other points open anyway. The Yoshiro Takagi Foundation, for example."
"That's true. You'll probably never get rid of us." A difficult to interpret smile appeared on the Oni leader's face. "You are aware of this, as I suppose."
"Of course, Narusegawa-san."
"Good. Then we are done here. You know how to reach us if anything happens."
"I rely on you to do your job well and this will not be necessary. Goodbye, Narusegawa-san. Shiba-san. Kenji-kun." The blue-haired bowed politely, waited to be released and then left the office. The three Oni remained behind.
Haruka stretched out on the chair. "You can go, Tanaka-kun."
The fire devil bowed before his boss, exchanged a glance with his friend and then moved out of the room.
"What was he thinking?" The leader asked as soon as the door fell into the lock, while she rose from the desk.
"He feels excluded." The red-scaled Oni shrugged. "He may not be the brightest, but he's not an absolute idiot. It is clear to him that behind the scenes, there is more than we let him know."
"Then there is still hope for him. He is very loyal, but he needs guidance."
With her arms crossed, she stood in front of the picture, which hung behind the desk on the wall. She looked at the wild, confusing strokes and the frantic symphony of the colors that characterized such modern works of art. She had never found taste in modern art. To her, the old values mattered. No wonder at her age of over eight hundred years.
"That's what I always try, Haruka." Shinji sat down at his desk, opened a drawer and pulled out two glasses. He put them on the table and grabbed a bottle, which was also in the drawer.
"What did you do about the Masuda girls?"
"First I played with the idea of hiring someone in the pension, but it seemed to me a little too risky, considering Masuda-sans's talent to stumble over things that are not of her concern. One of our companies rents an apartment on the other side of the road, which serves as a base for us. I've put three of our best men on it, although I still think it's unnecessary." He pulled the cork from the bottle and poured a colorless, clear liquid into the glasses.
"We have talked about this often enough. It serves to protect both parties."
"We can trust her, Haruka."
The Oni came over to him and let him hand her one glass. "I don't trust anyone. That's why I still live, Shinji. After hundreds of years."
"You trust me." They audibly clinked glasses.
"You know that's not true."
"I like to think it is." Both drank a sip.
Yuna returned to the pension. Nisha stood outside the door and was talking on the phone.
"Yes, mother. As soon as ..." She saw her classmate coming over. "... She's coming. Yes. I say goodbye, then I come home. Yes, mother. No need. Yes. See you later." The cat girl rolled her eyes as she hung up. "Today she is particularly annoying."
The blue-haired stopped next to her friend. "Say hello to her from me."
"Sure?" Nisha looked surprised.
"I can't pretend that she doesn't exist. We work together on the Takagi Foundation, and she and Shiba-san support me in managing the inheritance of my parents."
"You're right. It's silly of me. I'm just glad you didn't push me away from you."
"I would never do that. You're my friend." The blue-haired smiled confidently.
"Yeah. Nevertheless. Somehow I always stand between you and the others." The class representative made a somewhat morose impression.
Yuna hesitated, then grabbed Nisha's hand. The other girl shrank away a little, but let it happen. "You aren't standing between me and the others. You stand beside me."
The cat girl smiled shyly as she looked at their hands. "Thank you, Yuna. Your friendship is very important to me. You know ..."
"Yes. I know." The blue-haired drew her friend closer and hugged her.
Just at this moment, the front door of the pension opened and Hikari stepped out with Yui. The two girls stopped and stared at the others.
"What's going on here?!" Hikari wondered. The blue-haired and the cat girl jumped apart.
"She's going home now. Nothing else. See you tomorrow, Nisha."
"Yes. See you tomorrow. Good night, Yui-chan. Wada-san." The class representative bowed hastily, turned on the heel, and took a quick step.
"She's very strange." Hikari shook her head in disgust.
Yuna shrugged. "She's a little different than we are. Are you leaving?"
"Yes. I have to finish homework. Have you done it yet?"
"Yes."
Surprised, the black-haired girl blinked at her friend. "For real?!"
"Yes, of course."
"But ... you had so much to do with the inheritance and Yui ... and everything ..." Hikari seemed to have a really hard time to believe that.
"Sure, but I've always worked on it in between."
Yui followed the conversation full of interest. She had never seen Yuna complete the homework over the summer holidays. At least not since the elementary school. Her sister had really changed a lot. For the better, as the blonde felt.
"Can you lend me your workbook?" Hikari asked.
"You're so lazy. Unbelievable." The blue-haired shook her head, grinning.
"I'm sorry I'm not as perfect as your bosom friend!"
Annoyed, Yuna sighed. "Don't start that again. You can have it. I'll go get it."
"You know what? Fuck it. I can do it without your help."
"Hikari. Relax," Yui interjected.
"Are you against me too?" the black-haired shouted. Frightened, the blonde tensed up.
"Hey! Leave Yui alone!" Yuna stood in front of her sister. "Get your stupid jealousy under control. You are unbelievable, Hikari."
The head of the scorned became red. "I'm sorry. See you guys." She quickly withdrew from the siblings. Yui looked after her, but Yuna didn't care.
"Are you okay, Yui?" The blonde nodded. "Let's go in."