As the flaming portal opened in front of Shinji's desk, he almost fell off his chair. It closed and he stared at the oni standing in front of him. "C-Chiyo-san."
"Hey, Shinji-kun." Without showing any emotion, she looked around his office.
"What do you want here? It's too dangerous for you to be here."
"Don't wet yourself." With a gesture, one of the chairs in front of the desk slid behind her and she let herself fall into it. "I had an interesting vision."
"I'll call Kuro-sama right away. You can't be here." He pulled his phone out of the pocket of his blazer, but with a wave of Chiyo's hand, it whirled to the side and hovered in the air. The undertaker gritted his teeth. He stared at her, but he heard nothing from her direction.
"Yuna Masuda is alive."
"So?"
"She should be dead. Her survival has far-reaching consequences for our plans."
Shinji cocked his head. "I didn't receive such instructions."
"The matter would have sorted out itself. But now she lives suddenly. Are you sure you didn't forget anyone who could cause us trouble? Kuro-sama is a little upset."
"Tirr had eliminated anyone I could find. It would have to be a new oni, but I don't know who that might be. And a freshling wouldn't have enough power to be a problem."
"So you are incompetent."
Again the undertaker gritted his teeth. "They don't have time travelers."
"And oracles? What if someone foresaw her death and warned her?"
"I don't know..."
As Shinji paused in mid-sentence, Chiyo began to study him attentively. "Someone came to your mind."
"Oh yeah. I thought he was too weak, but who knows? They have talked at Yoshiro's funeral."
"Fix this," Chiyo told him as she rose from the chair.
"You don't give me orders, Chiyo-san."
A wry grin appeared on her face. "Well, well, don't forget that without me, you would just be another drooling madman in a cell. Take care of the oracle, Shinji-kun."
"What do you mean?" Her grin had to be enough in response, because the next moment she was swallowed by a new portal and was gone. "Great."
***
"It was a really nice evening, Kyo-kun," Ayumi said before she slid out off the passenger seat. "Even if it was business."
"Hey. If I can only see you when I book you, then I'll do it."
"You could just let me do my work and date me on my free evenings. I can reject a job if I don't feel like it."
"I'd still prefer you to stop."
"Don't start now." Ayumi closed the car door. "I'll text you."
"Okay." He raised the window and started the engine.
Ayumi followed with her eyes the tail lights of the car, until they were gone. Sighing, she turned to the front door of the pension, but then she stopped. "Kenji-kun."
"You aren't making it easy for me. I think you try to avoid me, Ayumi-chan." He leaned next to the door and smoked a cigarette. There were already some filters in the can next to him.
"Not really. I'm just busy. What do you want?"
"Go out with you. Have a drink. Dance a little bit. Have fun."
She stroked her hair for a moment. "You know that I don't want to hang out with you anymore. Just leave me alone."
"Come on. We always had a good time together."
"Yes, but that was then, and now is now. I don't want to hang out with you right now. Get that in your furry skull." As he looked at her with a raised brow, she added, "Yuna-chan has described you to me."
"Great." He flicked the cigarette into the can. "Guess, I have to force you to your luck." Kenji approached Ayumi, who backed away.
"Just leave me alone. I'm going in now..." She looked around hastily. "My purse."
The fire devil grinned. "Did you forget it? You can sleep at my place."
Annoyed snorted Ayumi. "Don't make a fool of yourself. There's certainly someone there to let me in." She pushed past Kenji, but he grabbed her arm. "Let go!"
"I'm so kind to you, but you have to be so repellent to me."
"If I tell Yuna-chan about this..."
"I'm not afraid of the kid. Don't act all high and come with me."
The redhead tried to break free, but he didn't let go. "I don't want to have anything to do with you. I'm in love with Kyo, so leave me alone!"
"I would listen to the lady." Ayumi's eyes widened and she looked over her shoulder as Kenji let out a growl. "Otherwise, I'll repeat myself as a law enforcement officer. Leave Ayumi alone, Tanaka-san."
"Everything's cool." The oni released her arm, leaving her at a distance. Slowly he approached Kyo.
"Go home, Tanaka-san."
"Or what?" Kenji was smaller, but he grinned cheekily at the police chief.
"I'll call your boss and complain."
"Then she'll hold back my Christmas money." He looked at Ayumi. "Hell, you've chosen a great man. Hiding behind a telephone and his boss."
"You are in the wrong, Tanaka-san. Go home."
"You're getting on my nerves, big guy." Kenji attacked with his right fist, but Kyo barely managed to fend off the blow and backed away.
"Stop it, Tanaka! I'm ready to ignore this slip-up, but another attack will have civil consequences!"
"I shit on your human laws, you wanker!" Kenji attacked again, but the policeman brought him down with a leg sweeper. The fire devil's face slammed on the sidewalk and Kyo rolled his arm on his back.
"If you leave now, we'll forget about this. If you continue, I will arrest you. Do you understand me, Tanaka-san?"
"Kyo! He's dangerous!" Ayumi wailed, but at that moment flames were licking from Kenji's eyes and he threw the man off of him.
"You're totally getting on my balls, you wimp," Kenji snarled, flames flaring at his skin.
The police chief got up and raised his hands. "Calm down, Tanaka! Nobody needs to be hurt!"
"You're the only one who gets hurt." A fireball appeared in his hand after Kenji stood upright.
"Kenji, stop!" Ayumi shouted, standing between them. Tears shone in her eyes. "You behave exactly like the monster you don't want to be!"
The fire went out. "Ayumi..."
"Just leave us alone!"
He stared at her for a moment, then couldn't stand her gaze any longer. "Fuck!" The fire devil turned around and walked away.
Ayumi took a deep breath, then turned to Kyo. "Everything okay?"
"He has something coming. Tomorrow, I'll call Narusegawa-san and complain."
"Let it go, Kyo-kun. He's just desperate. Don't make it harder for him. Why did you even come back?"
He pointed to his car. "You forgot your purse."
"True." For a moment, they just looked at each other.
"So you're in love with me?" the police chief asked.
"Well..." Her face went red and she quickly looked down. "Um..."
"I feel the same way for you." He raised her chin, looked into her green eyes and smiled.
***
Ryota Honda put the letter opener on the small coffee table, turned down the TV volume and got up from his sofa. He went to his apartment door where the knock came from, which kept him from sifting through his mail. He opened the door a crack and looked into the face of Shinji Shiba. "Oh... Shiba-san. Good evening." He pulled himself together and stifled a tremor.
"Good evening, Honda-san. May I come in?"
"Now isn't a good time, I have a visitor."
The shark teeth of the other oni flashed. "Really. You should know that you can't lie to a telepath."
"Please go, Shiba-san. I don't want you here."
"You screwed up, Honda-san. And you know that." With satisfaction, Shinji looked at the sweat film that gathered between the frog eyes.
"I didn't do anything like that!" Ryota claimed.
"Then why are you so scared?" Shinji pushed against the door, but the smaller oni was stout and could stop him.
"You want to kill me. I just don't understand why."
Shinji got all the information from the other oni's memory. "Your power has actually landed a hit. Unfortunately, it was at the dumbest moment possible. Open the door!"
"Go away!" Honda-san pressed with all his weight against the door, which slowly closed. "I'll complain to Narusegawa-sama about you!"
Once again, Shinji chuckled in this strange, inappropriate way. "You will do nothing but obey me. Open the door!"
The frog oni struggled with himself. His whole body trembled more and more, until he took a step back and opened the door. "How did you do that?!" he wondered.
The undertaker plucked his jacket, then entered the apartment. "Close the door."
"Go out of my apartment immediately!"
"Close the door and shut up!"
Ryota jerked and fine veins emerged from his neck. With a choppy movement, he closed the apartment door.
"And now you are going to sit on your sofa. If you just do what I tell you, it will be more enjoyable for both of us."
Hateful, Ryota stared at the oni with the red scales, then walked past him into his living room. Shinji quickly took out his pocket handkerchief and wiped his forehead before he put it back and followed his involuntary host.
"I don't want to let you die in uncertainty, Honda-san," Shinji explained after sitting down on the back of the sofa. "Ask your questions."
"Why?"
"You saved Yuna Masuda. Somehow."
For a brief moment, relief touched the face of the oracle. "She lives?"
"Yes. And according to my information, that shouldn't be so."
"That's a good thing. We need her."
Shinji shrugged. "My master sees it differently."
"Your master?"
"Shi Kuro. You know him."
Ryota shook his head incredulously. He noticed that he could move again. "He's dead."
The shark teeth flashed. "No, he isn't dead. He's death."
"I don't believe you." He squinted at the letter opener on the table.
"Believe me or not, I don't care. I was ordered to get rid of you..." With a swift movement, Ryota grabbed the letter opener, pointed the tip at Shinji's face, and stabbed. "STOP!"
He stopped in the middle of the movement. The frog oni breathed hard. The tip of the letter opener shook only a few inches in front of the other oni's face.
"I'm really impressed with you, Honda-san. I had always thought of you as a weakling, but the determination you are demonstrating here. I'm impressed." Shinji rose from the back and straightened his jacket. "Just point it to where it belongs."
"Please..."
"You've known for some time that you're going to die today. And you know exactly how it will happen." The undertaker watched as the other oni pointed the tip of the letter opener at his own heart.
"I can help you. Or Kuro-sama. Please spare me."
"We already have our oracle. And she's much more reliable than you are, Honda-san."
"I can get stronger. Please let me live," begged the frog oni.
"Hurry up, I have other plans for this evening."
Under a cry, Ryota Honda drove his letter opener millimeter by millimeter into his own breast. His whole body trembled uncontrollably. When his fingers touched his blood-soaked shirt, his head fell limply back. Shinji waited for the body to dissolve, then collected the clothes and left the apartment.