After she and Nisha had left Hikari, they walked to the bus stop before they parted ways. Yuna sat in the bus and stared out of the window. She had serious reproaches about her best friend. It was her fault that the black-haired was so desperate. She had let her down when her friend needed her urgently.
"I can't take responsibility for everyone. I'm just a girl. And I have so many things to deal with."
The Takagi Foundation. The school. Wataru. Yui ... Shocked, she tensed up. She had completely forgotten about Yui! She quickly pulled her cell phone from her backpack and dialed her sister's number. "Come on ..." The high-school girl looked around nervously.
Bored, uninterested and distracted people represented her driving community. No one was bothering about the blue-haired girl. The phone rang until Yui's Voicemail answered. "Damn it."
Yuna dialed the number of her red-haired roommate.
"Yes?"
"Ayumi-san! Is Yui at home?!"
The older one cleared her throat. "Relax, Blue. She's here. Where are you? The school has been out for hours."
"I was with Hikari ... I've brought her homework."
"Oh, okay. Now listen. Can you go buy some snacks? Yui has brought two friends over."
The high-school girl frowned. "Friends? She has ... from school?"
"Yes. Where else from?"
"I didn't know she had friends at school."
Ayumi chuckled. "I beg your pardon? What did you expect?!"
"She's always been with me and Hikari. She never mentioned anything."
"Well, then you'll probably get to know a new side of your sister. Buy some snacks, okay?"
Yuna nodded. "Sure. See you later."
The blue-haired tucked away her cell phone and looked at the timetable. One station before her actual exit was a supermarket, so she decided to make a stopover.
***
Yukiko stamped furiously over the sidewalk. That damn Shinji! How could he dare to treat her like that? They were equal. Actually, she would even have to stand above him because she was much longer in Kuro-sama's entourage than he was. He was still almost a newborn. How old was he? Maybe fifty?
She would have preferred to take his skin off. She clenched her fists and tried to relax. It was pointless to get so worked up. She would still be able to figure out who killed Tirr and then she could get back what belonged to her.
Annoyed, she looked at her reflection in a shop window. "I'm hungry." Fortunately, she was in front of a supermarket, so she went inside to buy something to eat.
The Oni marched searching through the shop and looked at different offers. She was pretty puzzled about what to eat. Finally, she grabbed two small breads with bean paste in them and a bottle of mineral water. The young woman went to the checkout, stood in the line and rummaged out her wallet. Carefully, she checked the contents.
"Damn it. I need to make some money."
Should she get a job? She had been most fortunate because she could work without a qualification in a restaurant as a kitchen aid, but without a certificate or the likes it was very difficult to get a reasonably paid job these days.
She could, of course, look for a Sugardaddy. There were always men who gladly financed the life for a pretty girl, provided they received a return for it.
Yukiko's thoughts glided to her earlier life in this city. At that time, the world had been a different one. At that time, Sachiko and Shi were the legitimate rulers. At that time, there were still so many Oni left, before the hunters had destroyed them mercilessly. At that time ... when her daughter had still lived.
Everything had changed when Tirr appeared on the scene. When he ...
"The next, please!"
Yukiko twitched. The cashier gave her an annoyed look. "Excuse me." The Oni hastily put her purchases on the conveyor belt.
"That's 650 yen."
The blue-haired picked up a few coins from her wallet and dropped them into the cashier's hand. "Here you go."
"Thank you for your purchase and have a nice day," said the woman at the cash desk.
"Thanks, you too."
She grabbed her breads and the bottle, and went with them toward the exit. While walking, she tore the pack of the first bun with her teeth and took a decent bite. Already, she caught some irritated glances.
The Oni rolled her eyes, left the supermarket, and went outside for a place to sit down for dinner. She quickly found a stone bench and settled down. She greedily devoured the first bread, then rinsed with some large sips of water.
Whom could she visit to collect her information? Perhaps she should turn to Sachiko. The Oni giggled as she remembered that their first names were written with the same Kanji. They had stood close before everything went to hell. Sachiko even wanted the Ice-Oni to stay here, but she couldn't wake up in her old apartment every day and be reminded of what had been taken from her.
"Marika ..." Yukiko whispered. She pulled out her wallet, opened it up and fished out a photograph. A girl, already on the threshold to be a woman, was depicted. A cheerful smile graced her face, while two light brown eyes looked directly at the viewer. She didn't look extraordinary to any extent, but in this gaze was the unspoken promise that she understood. The universe blessed this child, and made her a fantastic person. Her dark brown hair was tied back, but a stubborn strand always loosened on the left and hung down.
In the meantime she would be almost fifty years old. What could they have experienced together? How wonderful it would have been if she had been able to give her daughter's hand for marriage. If she had given birth to her grandchild. If she could have build a legacy.
Yukiko thought of Kira and Yoshiro. The two had been an inspiration, even if they could never get through to adopt children. It hurt her that the two Oni had apparently come to an end. There was simply no peace in this world. Not as long as there were warring people who were after the lives of the Oni.
Sighing, she put the photo back, put the wallet in her pocket, and took out her second bun.
Squeaking, a bus came to a halt, the doors swung open and some people left the means of transport. Bored, Yukiko glanced over and looked at the former passengers. An old man with a newspaper under his arm swiftly stalked away. A mother dragged her quivering child to the supermarket and tried to calm it down with words of soothing. Her gaze moved on to a blue-haired girl with an eye-patch, who also went to the supermarket. What had happened to this girl?
***
"Next stop: Ox Square."
Yuna rose from her seat, marched through the bus, and stood in front of the door. Next to her, a little boy began to cry because he didn't want to get off. With her lips pressed tightly, she stared at the child and its mother. It was probably as old as May would have been. She thought of how her little sister cried when she couldn't paint with Yuna's pencils. How gladly she would have given her all her damn art supplies now, just so that she could doodle with them.
"Excuse us, please," the woman muttered as she looked at Yuna.
The girl tore open her eye and shook her head hastily. "No. It's all right."
The bus came to a halt and opened its doors. An elderly man pushed his way past Yuna and the mother, ignoring her gaze. "Hey!" hissed the high-school girl, but he ignored her. She gestured to the mother that she should get out next. Gratefully the woman accepted the invitation with a nod and left the means of transport with her son.
Finally, Yuna's shoes touched the asphalt. At a little distance she followed the mother to the supermarket. The high-school girl was already thinking about what to buy when she was haunted by an unpleasant sensation. She glanced to the right, but couldn't see anything conspicuous. She turned her head to the left and involuntarily tensed up.
Two red-glowing eyes stared at her. Actually, it shouldn't surprise Yuna to meet an Oni. She knew there were some of them in this city. Nevertheless, she hadn't expected this and looked at the being with more interest than she liked to admit.
It seemed to be a woman and based on her Oni form she was probably an ice elemental. Her skin was white with a hint of blue. Had she seen this Oni at the meeting in the abandoned Inn? There were so many there. She couldn't remember every single one. The girl noticed the blue hair, but especially the wide, white hair strand on the left side of the head of the female Oni.
She turned her gaze away, concentrating on her purchases. For a fraction of a second, she wondered if she should approach the creature, but what good would it do? She herself didn't want to have anything to do with the Oni anymore, so this venture would be counterproductive.
Before she entered the supermarket, she glanced over her shoulder again to have another glimpse at the Oni. The red-glowing eyes still rested on the high-school girl.
"Why must she stare at me like that? Does she recognize me?" Yuna wondered. It had been rumored among the Oni that she had killed Tirr. At Yoshiro's funeral, some Oni had thanked her for her service. A few of the Oni even wanted to throw a victory party for her, but the former huntress didn't want that. Her decision was clear. She wanted to live a normal life without these beasts.
"Hey, you!" it sounded behind her.
Yuna shrugged and turned around. The Oni stood in front of her. "Good afternoon," the high-school girl stuttered.
The female Oni looked at the girl in front of her with undisguised interest. "Why did you look at me like that?" she asked.
The one-eyed also checked her interlocutor once more, before she looked into her eyes and said, "I thought you were a friend of mine."
Yukiko laughed. "Three girls with blue hair? What a coincidence."
"I apologize. I didn't want to be unpolite."
The Ice-Oni waved off. "It's all right. Have a nice day." She turned away from the girl. Little snowflakes trickled out of her hair and slowly danced to the ground.
"Likewise." Yuna went on relieved and took care of her purchases.