Seven Hundred And Twenty-Seven

After performing Chirurgery on Christopher Wringht, much to the joy of Bethany and Zachary, who would now be able to meet him regularly without needing to return home to the dangerous United States, which their father absolutely forbade them to do now, I carried out a few other small tasks I’d been putting off.

This included crafting some items for emergencies and some other projects I’d been working on, catching a little sleep, to see if Tsukuyomi was going to bless me with a vision, which wasn’t the case this time, and a few minor miscellaneous tasks, including seeing off Hinata, Yu-mi, Kazumi-san and their party on their journey to Korea, and bringing one very wary traveller through the Ring Gate at the Goring to Japan.

“Time zones sure are annoying when we can move between them instantly…” I yawned, and beside me, Shaeula chuckled wickedly.

She was wearing a very elegant yukata today, in pink with orange blossoms, and her hair, instead of flowing loose, had been braided into two pigtails, playing up her youthful charm. On seeing my expression, she laughed louder, before finally taking a breath.

“You are not-not mistaken. We do not-not have such in the Fae realms, or rather… the Moon is influenced by the land itself. Or so I am told, I have not-not been to the dangerous, dreadful places we shall-shall visit soon. But yes, it fascinates me, that here in Tokyo, it is…” She glanced at her watch, a silver, elegant ladies’ timepiece, a Patek Phillipe, of course, as Shaeula out of all of my women enjoyed the finer things in life. “…around nine-nine in the morning, whereas back in London, despite Aiko and the others living in the same-same moment, it is midnight. I can hardly grasp it.”

“Yeah, it’s a headscratcher, all right. Well, at least after the battle, they had a day to enjoy themselves while I was running around checking in on Su Liena, performing Chirurgery, and other odd jobs.”

We were hardly enjoying ourselves. Eri complained. The atmosphere here is so thick you could cut it with a knife. It’s frustrating. Still, we made an effort, and the others helped out. Mother-in-law and father-in-law were still a bit shellshocked from the battle, so a day to take in the sights of the seaside and London was good for them. And for Aiko.

Hey, I can talk for myself. Yeah, I feel bad mom and dad are so upset, but… that doesn’t mean I can live my life just doing what they think is best for me. Even if I’m making a mistake, so what? It’s all a learning experience, isn’t it? Besides… it’s already grown back once, hasn’t it?

Shaeula burst out laughing beside me, and I realised I was missing something, but Eri’s exasperated thoughts distracted me.

I don’t think it’s the physical which matters. It’s your heart. But forget that. We might stay here another day, if there’s nothing else going on you need us for?

No. Not today. In fact, it’s good for everyone to take a break. Though maybe we should help Britain out a bit more while we’re largely free of worries. I had to check the progress of the Territory upgrades and the Ether we were stockpiling for Haru. Obviously we didn’t have enough for the Rank Four upgrade for her, as we were only stockpiling half of the generated ether for her, the rest going into my Territory and mostly the Ring Gate Hub security, which was now starting to look quite formidable, but I expected that we’d be closer than I imagined, thanks to the escalating potency of our buffs, and the fact Asha’s Tree had mysteriously doubled itself, in a way, by exploiting the merging of Tokyo here with the lower Astral. In any case, if you want to have fun, that’s cool.

Well, school does start again tomorrow… or rather today, so we’re skipping. Aiko and me, we’re remote students anyway, and in our final year, so this term is all about exams. Kana’s back and should be attending school, even though she doesn’t want to. Her classmates too. Though those like Motoko who are at Hanafubuki don’t have to rush, repairs on the school are still scheduled to take another week or two to conclude so they have a delayed start. Though they were given a lot of self-study to complete. Eri added.

Which they whizzed though. My sis interacted. All the girls from that school are super conscientious. Wow, makes me feel bad sometimes I’m such a slacker. But yeah, with their stats they are all done, so they can enjoy a longer break too. Anyway, we might see you later. It’s no harder to come back and forth from London than it is popping into Shibuya or Shinjuku, and wow, did I not ever imagine I’d be going anywhere like that regularly.

My own thoughts were warm at her excitement. I know. Well, just enjoy it. Because once we start training again, we’re going hard, okay?

That mental conversation finished, I nodded. “All right then. Today it’s time to start ticking off the tasks we need to complete before we meet up with the Lady of the Lake. That’s Friday, isn’t it, but… with time zones again, it might well be considered Saturday morning, here, to match up with the British Wolf Moon. So confusing.”

“In any case, we should be ready on Friday. Besides…” Shaeula added, her smile now wicked and nasty. “We do-do need to put that wretched firefox in his place. Not-not only has Moira done as she was challenged to, we have many-many other examples of success. So an early arrival to spend more time roasting the wretched fox in his own-own flames would satisfy me!”

“So yeah, we’ll allocate all of Friday for that then.” I agreed. “But that still leaves us plenty to deal with. And speaking of…”

“Yes-yes, I am ready.” Shaeula nodded. “Let us go deal with this troublesome male, and then we can-can move onto more fun matters.”

Yes. It’s not exactly a ‘lads’ day out’ as my mom might put it, as we have Shaeula here, and I want to see how Bianca and Himawari are settling in, but… it’ll be good to spend some time with men. Don’t get me wrong… Shaeula smiled knowingly at my thoughts but tactfully remained silent. …I adore spending time with you all, but once in a while, I get a craving for some male company, you know?

***

“This is… insanity!” Adam declared, aghast. He’d been horrified enough by the Ring Gate, which allowed instant travel between London and Tokyo in the Material, thanks to the use of one of my precious Satellite Anchors… at least until Ellie reaches Rank Four too and we get married, then I can withdraw the Anchor and use it elsewhere, and she’ll have her own to deploy too… but having seen the reality of my Territory with his own eyes, which had Fae coming and going in properties I controlled in both worlds, such as the Azabu Hills Estate or Shirohebizumi shrine, he was appalled.

“This is everything I feared. An invasion of spiritual beings! When we first found the fire-breathing alligator, that was one thing, but these… these are all sapient. A civilisation. Our competitors!”

Shaeula snorted, and Adam scowled at her, before smoothing his facial expression. “My apologies. I came begging your aid, it’s not… fair… of me to be so combative. Especially as you seem to be in a relationship…”

“Not-not seem, we indeed are.” Shaeula corrected, and Adam sighed.

“Look, I get it. You’re not human, Shaeula… I can call you that and not Miss Dannan, yes?” At Shaeula’s shrug, he rubbed at his head, perhaps a nervous tic brought on by stress, and indeed, a few strands of his sandy brown hair fell away.

Looks like the stress is making him go bald. Compared to what those he targeted suffered, it’s a small retribution.

“Yes, you’re one of these… spiritual beings…” The term seemed to pain Adam, as his mouth curled as if he was biting into a sour lemon. “…so you surely don’t see the issues. But look at it this way. Every time in human history two civilisations met, be it we Americans and the indigenous populace, the Spanish in South America, Portuguese in India, and indeed Britain and Japan have many similar stories… it leads to war, genocide and chaos. Here… things will surely be worse. Reality itself is in flux. Who is to say these invaders won’t drop a meteor out of the skies on one of our cities, or unleash a deadly plague, or… or control important figures and usurp nuclear launch codes or worse.”

He swallowed as he looked around at weaselkin and ratkin maids rushing to and fro, Mortal Engineers carrying machinery or Etherites, mingling with ordinary humans going about their daily tasks. He’s probably thinking of the President and how he and those around him are being systematically compromised by the Church of True Revelation. “And yet, you’ve created this… this weakness in the fabric of the warp… which lets them flood through. If it was isolated, small numbers, creatures such as the alligator, then we could manage, but… this is an Eye of Terror!”

I’ve done some research. I get what you’re talking about now. But you’re wrong. “I understand your fears. After all, not all spiritual beings are friendly to others. Hell, if before we clashed with the Night Parade, they found themselves on the Material in downtown Tokyo, for example, I’d imagine the bloodshed would be terrible. And for every known set of troublemakers like the Hyakki Yagyō…” Shaeula puffed out her chest proudly, as well she might, being Seventy-First, and her mother Twentieth…” I suppose you could argue that Seventeenth, Shinkume-no-Hana is in our corner as well, and even Bintara… I never got her Number, but Hana tells me it would be a single digit, since she’s one that Nurarihyon keeps close.

“…there must be many more groups we don’t know of. But you’re working off outdated information.” I paused meaningfully, and Adam waited for my next words. “Yes, this is my Territory, and upgrading it to Rank Four has merged the Astral with the Material, but… it’s going to happen everywhere sooner or later anyway. At least this way, I can exert some control and we can prepare. You can rail against it all you want, Adam, but it’s inevitable. It happened to Earth in the past and it’s happening again. All the wishful thinking in the world won’t stop this. And worse… you’ve actively made Earth more vulnerable by removing a number of Chosen.”

“Maybe so, but… how can we trust these powers? How can we be sure that they don’t function like a backdoor, letting the Gods or whatever they call themselves take you all over, use you as vanguards for the invasion?”

Shaeula snorted. “You are quite-quite the coward, especially for someone seeking Akio’s aid.”

“I’m prudent. Somebody has to be. I don’t trust gifts given by strangers. There are always strings attached. We have to be sure. If we make a mistake here, not only America will fall, but humanity itself! Even if we survive, how can we be sure we are still ourselves, still free?”

“That’s a fair question to ask. But you went about it in the worst way you could.” I scoffed. “I won’t say there are no expectations of us, but I personally have made my position clear. I’m not beholden to the Gods. But I do have gratitude. But my point still stands. What can you do about it? The world will change, despite whatever you try and do to stop it. We’d all be better riding the wave rather than drowning. Tokyo here, and soon to be Kyoto, London as well, we’ll all be islands, weathering the storms. In America…” Aliyah and Luciana had told me of the rather pathetic Territorial coverage of Washington DC. The Americans had hamstrung themselves and were now playing catchup with vastly limited resources. “…it’s going to be rough. Don’t they say the road to Hell is paved with good intentions?”

Adam had to concede the point. “Even so… you can’t expect a peaceful integration.”

“And again, what are you going to do about it? Fight a war?”

“We have better weapons, and from what we know, humanity outnumbers the invaders significantly. We could win.”

“At the start, maybe. But the strongest spiritual beings, such as Shaeula here…” She puffed up at my praise, smirking. “…maybe you’ll need nuclear weapons to harm them. What are we going to do? Keep nuking until we’ve turned earth uninhabitable, brought on nuclear winter? We have to fight fire with fire, Adam, or better yet, come to common cause with those we can. Besides…” I chuckled, remembering hastings. “…while on land, yes, we clearly outnumber the spiritual beings, they don’t have dense, massively populated cities like we do…” Indeed, Shaeula had told me of the Seelie Court, and if it numbered more than a million Fae, she’d be shocked. “…the ocean is surely full of tribes and strange creatures. We’ve faced a few of them. No, if it turns into a war of attrition, we’re done, Adam. And that’s not even counting the myriad worlds that exist beyond ours. You can’t treat this problem like a hostile rogue state and invade. It won’t work.”

At my harsh words, Adam looked like he wanted to retort, but he paused, thinking hard, before nodding slowly. “I want to protest, but… how can I? Your words are persuasive. You are quite persuasive. I don’t understand. We have detailed data on you, not only what’s from public record, but also gathered by… our assets. Such as Scryer. You were just an ordinary, underperforming freelancer mere months ago! Is it any wonder with those like you having changed, we have the fears we do?”

It was Shaeula who answered, snorting with wry amusement. “You think far-far too small. Yes, Akio was humble, but his greatness was there, always waiting to be revealed, like a jewel caked-caked in mud. Wash that off, with the help of a great-great female…” Shaeula couldn’t help but boast. “…and he shall shine. He is nothing but himself, so have no-no fears. He is the one who shall rule this world. So best-best get used to that, Adam.”

“Sometimes I hate that I think Christina of all people might be a better judge of character than I am, at least this time.” Adam rubbed at his head again, fatigued mentally. “Fine. I’m here… to observe, and to share. My access is back, thanks to you bullying our President. Viola’s been sending me important documents and intelligence I still need to review. Just be aware… I can never betray the United States. I would die first.”

“Even if it was that-that country, or all you mortals?” Shaeula asked shrewdly, and Adam fell quiet, troubled.

A good, but a wicked question. How very like you, Shaeula.

I know. I am not pleased by this male, but even so, if he can be of use, I shall tolerate him. But his hypocrisy irks me.

Yeah, but that’s politics. It’s hard to be truly consistent. I hardly am.

Yes, but… that is because you are strong, Akio. Power carries its own rewards, and its own pitfalls. Now then…

Yes. We need to wrap this up. There’s one more question on my mind, though…

“So, you’re sure Viola hasn’t been compromised herself?” I asked, and Adam shrugged.

“I can’t rule it out, but Viola is nothing if not cautious. She is my undersecretary, after all. I expect she’ll take over the NSA Paranormal Branch when I’m done. Which might be sooner than I anticipated. The President… he’s not exactly known for keeping faith, or honouring promises.”

“I’ve noticed that.” I chuckled, remembering his attempts to betray the Church just to fish up more benefits out of me. “For now though, just keep quiet and watch and learn. If you’re trying to steer America onto the right path, you need to know what that is. In deference to your staunch defence of free will, I won’t get Shaeula to bind you to keep our secrets, but…”

“If you dare-dare betray us, I will have no hesitation in taking your life.” Shaeula warned, serious, and Adam nodded.

“I doubt very much I can stop you. I came to you for help in the first place. Oh, that reminds me, what… what of the others?”

“You mean Ekaterini and her companions? She’s in Britain still, hashing out some international agreements with Britain, though she’s planning to use the Ring Gate to come to Japan and do the same here afterwards. As for the others, they’ve got their own Territories and business to worry about, but they plan to visit and see how we do things here.” Especially Dorte. She’s still not entirely convinced on my relationship with Rose and Lin, I think, but after the battle at Hastings, she’s warmed up a bit, at least…

Dorte is… very self-sacrificing. Lin added, her thoughts troubled. That is a… desirable… quality for Heroic Tyr’s Favour, as is her drive to help others, to do good, but… I am starting to feel, through seeing what you have done, that not having to make those sacrifices is a more desirable way, if others can still be saved…

Obviously. There’s no glory in loss, or making tough choices. I’d rather win easy than win hard, though if a hard win’s all I can grab, I’ll still take it…

“I see. Witnessing, huh?” Adam mused, unaware of my mental conversations. “Speaking of, I should probably check up on Christina, not that she’ll be pleased to see me.”

“You’d be surprised.” I sighed. “Since you’re not disappearing her, and have even provided her some help… of a questionable nature…” It was clear to me Bethany’s attempts to help her become more womanly and charming were originating from Adam, even if Chris was the one passing on the instructions. “…she’s not one to hold grudges. It’s unproductive, she says. But she’s quite… worn out… after doing some Donating for us. But yes, I’ll call her over later. Mariam too.”

As Adam nodded, we set out for our destination, where today’s agenda would be taking place…

***

“So, who’s the big shot?” Yasu-kun asked, before thanking the maid who was placing down a cup of tea for him. “Oh, thanks. By the way, looking great in that uniform.”

Himawari, the maid in question, blinked her watery blue eyes, lineage of her half-blood heritage, suddenly wary, before her calm reasserted itself, and she dipped her head, mop of fluffy blonde hair, almost like gold, catching the light streaming though the window of the old home I still kept at Shirohebizumi shrine. In her modest maid uniform, nothing like the Akiba variants, she cut quite an elegant yet cute figure, but even though she never passed Genin, or so Byakuren and Kokuren told me, she was supposedly extremely naturally gifted in the Ninja arts, and so was perfect for the role. Ninjas are all about stealth and misdirection, about seeming harmless. I shouldn’t take Michiru and her father as a good example…

“You’re welcome.” she muttered in her soft, diffident voice, and Yasu-kun blushed, even as Shugo-kun was elbowing him in the ribs playfully.

“You’ll get into trouble with Karen-chan if you’re ogling her, Yasu-kun.” he warned, and Yasu-kun hit back.

“I’ll tell Akiko-chan, see if I don’t! You were glancing at her too. Nothing beats a battle maid, especially such a helpless-looking cutie! It’s the gap. Gap moe to the max!”

“Sorry about them.” Hayato-kun apologised to Adam and our other male guest. As usual he was looking dapper in a tight-fit black t-shirt and blue jeans, contrasting his own blonde hair. Compared to him, Yasu-kun, in his black high-necked sweater and jeans, and Shugo-kun in an open-collared blue shirt and matching trousers, seemed ordinary, though even I had to admit everyone was still quite handsome. If you add in Aimi-chan and Hina-chan, then yes, we certainly were a handsome collective. And that’s before we added the cheat code known as Shiro. Birds of a feather flock together, I suppose…

You’d never have been able to think that before, bro… my sis added. Her control over her mental communication was slowly improving. Eri teaching her how to split her consciousness and leverage her Intellect, so I anticipated her getting Split Thoughts sooner rather than later.

Wow, yeah, I can hardly wait, this gives me a headache… no, wait, don’t change the subject on me. You know it’s true. You’ve always been good looking, bro. after all, I’m your sister, how could you be anything else? But you never leveraged it. Even a really handsome guy can look average if he lacks confidence and looks down all the time.

Been ogling many handsome men then, sis?

Wow, rude much? Looking’s free, isn’t it? Though I find I’m not exactly interested for some reason nowadays… anyway, you’re not wrong, bro. Shiro’s one thing, but Hina-chan’s got that bookish librarian type nailed, Aimi-chan’s a busty short cutie, and all of you guys are solid, though Yasu-kun’s wild look isn’t for me. So yeah, wait, what point was I making?

Shaeula held a hand over her mouth to hide her smile as she mentally retorted. You were not making one. Akio is confident, as a male who loves us must be. I feel you simply wish to share this mental intimacy with him as much as you can.

I guess… guilty as charged? Fine, fine, I’ll be quiet…

As they started bantering, I smiled as Himawari placed down my own tea. After I nodded my own thanks to her, I followed up Hayato-kun’s apology with one of my own. “Yes. It’s a bit sad, but maids hit a certain spot in our hearts. Though Himawari here…” the Genin had insisted, especially since I Healed her long-standing wounds, that for me to give her any honorific, even a cute one like -chan, would be unbecoming and she wouldn’t relent on that. “…is like Yasu-kun says, a trump card. A battle maid.”

“I see. Never a dull moment.” Our other male guest, Fuji Yamahiko-san, waved off our apologies. “Besides, I can certainly see why it would help to have everyone well-trained, and a few hidden aces. You are in the centre of this storm.”

He had made an effort, and wasn’t wearing priestly vestments, but casual clothes, black jeans and a red shirt, the colourful cloth contrasting with his pale skin and black hair and dark eyes. He was a year or two older than me, I estimated, but his excitement at being here made him seem younger. A bit like a boisterous puppy.

“That he most certainly is.” Adam grumbled. “A storm that might well drown us all.”

“That is hardly fair.” Our final guest spoke up, which was unexpected. Bianca Albua, Haru’s Chosen Hero, was a pretty woman a little older than me, though she was still a little too thin, having had a tough time. She was dressed in a comfortable white tracksuit, partially unzipped to reveal a similarly white t-shirt underneath, and I held in a chuckle at the thought Shiro had some competition for her love of wearing white, as Bianca seldom wore anything else. Her chest, being a Westerner, is quite impressive too, compared to the average Japanese woman, though Shiro again wins this round.

“Oh?” Yamahiko-san asked politely. “I would love to hear your opinion, as one of Akio-kun’s companions.”

Straight to Akio-kun, huh? Yamahiko-san sure is friendly, and eager. I can almost see a tail wagging behind him. Still, we did promise to involve him in exchange for inheriting control of Mount Fuji, which gave us huge benefits, so that’s what we’ll do.

“Companion? Hardly.” Bianca snorted, a shadow in her blue-green eyes. “I was a tool, a sacrifice. Yet somehow I was saved. Now… I am a tool which cannot function. All I do is sit around and drink endless tea, and watch television. A better life than I expected, any life is shocking to me.”

“Cheer up.” Yasu-kun smiled at her, and despite his many flaws, one thing that nobody could say about our long-time friend was that he wasn’t kind, especially to women. “I understand. Hell, I feel useless, most of the time. Even if work on the Oracle Engine is important. But we all know that if Akio-kun hired some proper university-level professors and tech-firm prodigies, he’d get better results. There’s nothing wrong with being a nepo hire, Bianca. Just be proud that they like you enough to keep you around!”

As Shaeula snorted, amused, Bianca frowned. Then Hayato-kun smoothed things over. “What Yasu-kun means is that our worth isn’t measured on what we can do, but on how we do our best. Akio-kun’s always been happiest when he’s smiling like a proud father at someone trying despite all adversity. That used to be directed at our troublesome Shiro most of the time, but now…”

I found Hayato-kun’s praise embarrassing, but he wasn’t wrong. It was why I was always so proud of my sister and her efforts in Kyūdō and volleyball. Even if she never won tournaments, she always poured her heart and soul into it. Heart and Truesoul, I guess?

I could feel Aiko’s own embarrassment at my mental praise, and I silently asserted that embarrassing a little sister was a big brother’s job, and through Eri I could see my sis pouting charmingly.

“…now, Akio-kun’s not just watching, he’s actively encouraging and supporting. So don’t fret, Bianca-san. Your time will come.”

“I know it will. Or at least, I can imagine it. Unlike Valerian, who came with me, or that other girl, Ileana…” She had half-expected Ileana and Valeska to be here today, but the two of them were resting. The transformation had taken a lot out of the pair of them, and they were taking it easy, digesting the changes, as they did my blood. “…I can do nothing, the power of Mokosh ruined. It… is not a comfortable feeling.”

“It should be.” I soothed. “Consider this a break earned by what you suffered.” I turned to Adam then. “The Church is insidious, and they have sources of knowledge we don’t have access to.” Not anymore, not without Yasaka-san’s Book. Though his partial remnant still can offer us some guidance. I’ll have to do something about that, but it’s not likely to be until after the Quest…

“The scheme with the President isn’t the only play they’re making. They set Bianca up as a trap within a trap, and possibly there are further layers. Which is why we can’t use your ability, Bianca, no matter how potentially useful it is. Not until we’re certain we’ve disarmed the snares they left within.” I’d used my Eyes, the Oracle Engine, Yasaka-san, Chirurgery, Qi Perception, and every other means at our disposal to check her and Mokosh’s Favour. It seemed entirely safe, but I had a faint prickling sense of unease, and Tsukiko, whose Foresight was more than double mine, and had even surpassed Tan’s current limit due to being within Shiro, felt it more strongly.

“So for now, you’re doing what you’re supposed to, Bianca. You rest, recover, put your traumatic experience behind you, and just continue practising your ability in the designated safe zone, and Levelling up at the coast.”

At my answer, Bianca sighed, gaze downcast, but she nodded, sipping at her tea. Behind us, Himawari offered us a tray of rather nice British biscuits we’d brought back, and Shaeula tucked into them without a care. After a moment, Bianca took one too, and bit into it with a satisfying crunch, her dull gaze momentarily coming alight, and Shaeula glanced at me, a knowing smirk on her face.

Few women can resist the allure of sweets. I know I most certainly can not. I sympathise with her, and it has not been long since she was rescued. But it is hard to be here and do nothing, when everyone is working with such fervour.

Yeah, I get that…

“Adam…” He seemed puzzled I was addressing him, but I could kill two birds with one stone here. “…you probably would have thought Bianca’s ability rather useless. But that’s a mistake. It’s all about knowing how to use it, when to use it. Those Chosen you killed, their abilities might have been the keys to unlocking a difficult problem for humanity, and now they’re gone, broken. So we’ll have to figure out alternative ways to pick those locks. But Bianca…” I smiled at her again. “…her talent is exactly what we need. Hence why the Church spiked it. My concern is how they know…”

“Yes, it’s obvious they are acting on a greater scope of intelligence than we have.” Adam conceded. “They know just where to leverage points of vulnerability. Despite that… they are far from infallible. They failed here, and in Britain too, didn’t they?”

“They did.” I agreed. “And while we can’t rule out that the losses were part of a ‘just as planned’ scheme…” At my use of that, Adam frowned, though he quickly understood the point. “…if we second-guess ourselves that much, we’ll be paralysed. Plan for the worst, hope for the best, as mom would say.”

“What Akio-kun is trying to say…” Hayato-kun added. “…is that be it you, Bianca-san, or Himawari-chan here, there’s no need to be downhearted. Your times to shine will definitely come.”

“That’s right. Himawari, you may feel you’ve fallen behind Byakuren and Kokuren, but you’re mistaken. You just are following a different path now. You’ve had Chirurgery, so you can hone your talents beyond what you could have before. And while it’s wrong to judge someone on their looks… you definitely seem cute and innocent. Nobody would expect you to be a hidden blade.”

Himawari flushed at my praise, nodding shyly, as she finished passing around the biscuits and refilling tea. “I very much appreciate it, Akio-sama. And for… for separating me from those who used to torment me.”

“It’s only natural.” I promised. “And while I can’t really punish them for that, and I still have to put them to use, only you are getting a more… personal… instruction.”

“Indeed, so be-be proud. And be worthy.” Shaeula agreed. “I would not-not be crass enough to tell you, or Bianca, or indeed anyone, to forget their sorrows, but I do know this. The future, it is so-so bright as to be almost blinding. Focus on that.”

Himawari nodded. “I intend to. A second chance is a precious gift.”

Bianca sighed then. “I get it. I too will seize it. I just wish I could do more…”

“And when you can, your involvement might be as crucial as even Shiro’s.” I promised. “Our two white buffers.”

“I think that an insult somehow, though I don’t quite get it?” Bianca tilted her head, and Hayato-kun and the others held in their laughter.

“I assure you it’s not.” I promised, and Yamahiko-san spoke up, eyes sparkling with eagerness.

“This really is all super interesting. I understand why my parents and their parents before them, were so eager to get the mess with ownership of Sacred Fuji resolved, but then handed it over to you so easily. This is the true heart of things here.”

“Your family are still the caretakers of the mountain. I may own it now, but just like I own Shirohebizumi, the Izumi family will always have the final say here.” I assured him. “But if you think about it, the Maker of Mountains and his fellow Yōkai have their claim too.” I glanced at Adam knowingly. “Wiping them out might have been your go-to solution, but what would you do? Strike Mount Fuji with missiles from the sea, or fly over bombers? Even if that worked, you’d be destroying our heritage along with them. Even if you won the world that way, is it worth claiming victory over a heap of ashes?”

“Wise words.” Yamahiko-san nodded along, and Adam frowned.

“I understand your point. Just as if we are forced to use nuclear weapons, the cost of victory would be terrible. But it is still a victory. Defeat is extinction.”

“Not if we do things my way.” I insisted. “I think it’s a microcosm of Japan. More so, the nobility. There’s a lot they do which is good and wise. Keeping alive Japanese traditions and arts, even things like Natsumi’s family persevering the skills needed to make and dye old-fashioned cloth, has value. We shouldn’t forget our roots or discard the old because of the shiny new.”

As everyone hung on my words I warmed to the subject. “But not all they do is praiseworthy. Don’t get me wrong, Hinata, Motoko, Natsumi, Miyu, the others… their upbringing has left them as intelligent, charming, wonderful women. But it’s also stifled them. So… it has to change, whilst not destroying it. Compromise. They can still gain the knowledge and wisdom they always have, without needing them to be isolated birds in a case, roses under glass. It’s a lot harder, but… it’s worth it. Likewise… the Maker of Mountains, Yamahiko-san here, humanity as a whole… we can coexist and work together for a greater good. Compromise is inevitable, but… just like with you, Bianca…” She paused, cup held towards her mouth, as I addressed her. “…your efforts will be more than just what you can do, but what you can achieve in concert with others. Exponential potency.”

“I see.” Bianca mused, glancing at the towering Trees through the window. “If I had destroyed that, it would have been another wound I would have had to face before my death…”

“Oh, so that was the target?” Yamahiko-san intuited. “How horrible. They are as impressive as Sacred Fuji. And the view out over Tokyo is amazing. You’re so extraordinary, Akio-kun…” As Yamahiko rattled on, I caught some of Eri’s and Aiko’s thoughts.

Don’t worry, Eri. My bro’s totally only into women, no matter how many new rivals of the other sort appear!

…even so, it’s frustrating. But we should expect this. I did expect this. Already having half the world as potential rivals is bad enough…

Yeah, I get that. I’m in your camp now, Eri! But even so…

Yeah, I think I’ll leave that one alone…

Once Yamahiko-san wound down, I addressed him seriously. “You wanted in, your family wanted you in, and we’re glad to have you.”

“That’s true.” Shugo-kun chuckled. “I never thought I’d be saying this, but it’s actually a bit depressing, all of these stunning women around us. Having a few more guys to talk to is comforting.”

“Trying to play up the good boy act for Akiko-chan?” Yasu-kun teased, and Shugo-kun rolled his eyes and hit back.

“No more than you are for Karen-chan. Besides, it’s different for me, but if you hurt Karen-chan’s feelings or break her heart, Akio-kun’s going to be pissed.”

It’s true, I would be, but… despite his outward behaviour, we all know Yasu-kun’s nothing if not an earnest, loyal guy. He did have a bit of a blind spot with Hisano-chan, but he’s stopped lecturing her once she finally put on the Adamant uniform. Besides, she’s just a young woman who wants to shed her own feelings of inadequacy, much like Bianca here, and even Himawari. And like you say, Hayato-kun, there’s little I like more than watching a young woman seize her destiny, try until she succeeds in becoming her best self.

“I’ll try to fit in.” Yamahiko-san, if he was a dog, would have been wagging his tail. “So, you were saying, Akio-kun?”

“It’s that you need to work on honing your Skills, master an element or two, start with earth, of course…” I laid out a training plan, while Adam listened on in stony silence. When I was done, he spoke up.

“It’s obvious, considering how Christina has changed. She won’t give me any details which compromise your secrets, despite me being her employer, and it being in America’s interests, but she can’t help but brag about her… gifts… as she calls them.”

“She’s… special, that one is.” Yasu-kun agreed. “Gorgeous but crazy. It’s not like I don’t get the appeal of fancy Eyes like you have, Shaeula…” She nodded, as Yasu-kun continued. “…but having eyes replaced… I don’t even like using eye drops!”

As there were nods of agreement around the table, Adam rubbed at his head again. “That’s not the point. The point is… the powers these so-called Gods gave, Christina Bakker wasn’t deemed worth of any, which makes me think that whether they are Gods or not, at least they have some level of Divine wisdom… but unlike your sister, Akio, you never transplanted her with such, did you? No, her talents are all… home grown, you could say.”

“Exactly. Relying on power not our own, or at least, power we haven’t made our own, is folly, no matter how well-intentioned the giver.” I agree with Daiyu on that. “One fear you have, of the Favours being back doors, trojan horses, at least with us, we’ll gradually subsume any influence. So you should be pleased at that.”

“I am, but I then fear the obvious, that the unstable, the terrorist, the petulant child without the maturity to be careful, will master such terrifying powers themselves.”

“It will happen.” I agreed. “That’s why we have to be strong enough, have safeguards in place, to counter these outliers. You’ve lost, Adam, if you want a world that follows the comforting, explainable, Material laws we have had up until now. And only fools ignore reality.”

“I concede that.” he grimaced. “Even so, your attitude is a little flippant. The stakes are high…”

“Higher than you imagine. I have so much more to protect.” I smiled at Shaeula, before nodding at my friends, Bianca, Himawari and Yamahiko-san. “Which is why I face reality. But even now in America, anyone can have a gun, and while the deaths from such related violence are higher than we’d like, they’re not constant. The majority of people are responsible, or at least not malicious. And it’s not easy to achieve what we have. Trust me.”

Daiyu knowsthat as well. As does Liena. “Only the dedicated, or those supported by knowledge, will be able to progress. And to reach a level where you can cause mass casualties… well, we’ve a few years yet, I’d say, barring those who have such Favours. That’s another reason why…” I swept an arm towards the window, where outside Fae, Yōkai and humans were mingling to carry out tasks. “…this wasn’t a mistake. At least here, we have protection from such fools. Now then…”

I finished my tea and biscuits quickly, a suddenly malicious grin on my face. “…since you came all this way, Adam, you might as well fully understand and see both sides of the new world. Though… understanding comes with pain.”

Yasu-kun winced, getting what I meant, remembering his own Chirurgery, and as Adam caught up, realising what I was saying, I turned to Bianca. “We’ll go see Valerian and how he’s settling in, though by all reports he’s enjoying working in the forge area. You’re acquainted, no matter how briefly, so want to come?”

As Bianca nodded, also finishing her tea, I began to weave scalpels of aether, ready to perform basic Chirurgery on Adam and charge him up. Yes, Valerian’s been using his Skills alongside the Mortal Engineers to work on something crucial for me. The prototypes I made are with Hinata and her group, but for mass production, which we need, I can’t be spared. And speaking of Hinata… hoping everything was going well for her in Korea, I remembered that Hiroto-san, as part of his punishment, was an understudy to the various technicians and Mortal Engineers there.

She did relent on her forced marriage proposal, though she still insists it’s best he settles down as soon as possible and picks a woman… or more than one, honestly, if they are willing… to marry, to keep himself out of trouble with the ladies. But she insisted punishment was necessary, so until he’s learnt a set of Skills she’s decided on, he’s basically an apprentice. I suppose I should check up on him, he is my brother-in-law after all, and… well, it was true. Guys did love boasting to women they fancied, and it wasn’t as if I was any better at keeping secrets in the early days.

Yes, I sympathise. But I’m not gainsaying Hinata on this one. Best I can do is offer some sympathy, and a little advice…