As I was cleaning myself off in the bath, alone, as Shaeula was making sure our home was presentable, I heard Kana-chan coming in. “Excuse me. Shaeula, big bro, are you here?”
Shaeula shuffled out into the hallway. “Indeed, I am here Kana. You will have to forgive Akio, for he is taking a bath-bath right now.”
“I see. I guess he wants to look his best with all those girls visiting.” Kana sniggered. “Oh well, can you help me? I have a lot of food and drink to carry in. I’ll have to thank big bro again for being generous.”
“A true male should never be miserly.” Shaeula intoned piously. “If you wait just a little while, I am sure-sure Akio will be delighted to assist you. Or…” her voice turned mischievous. “… if you wished to peek, now is the best time!”
Damn, sometimes having great hearing isn’t always a good thing. Shaeula is being as playful as ever.
“Wait… no!” Kana-chan protested. “I don’t… I don’t think of big bro that way! Besides, he’s your boyfriend, you shouldn’t…” she trailed off, and I imagined she was blushing.
“Are you sure-sure? You look interested to my eyes.”
“No way, I said I’m not, so I’m not!” Kana-chan shouted, forgetting I was listening.
As Shaeula laughed, I decided to throw poor Kana-chan a lifeline.
“Stop teasing her, Shaeula. And yes, Kana-chan, I’ll be done in a minute so I can carry everything for you.” I called out, and for a moment was silence, before I heard Kana-chan sigh.
“You heard that? Ugh, so embarrassing. Sure big bro, I’d appreciate the help. Thanks again for your kindness.” she called back, Shaeula only laughing harder.
Finishing up my bath I changed in my room, wearing casual clothes, jeans and a t-shirt. Looking at myself in the mirror I noticed the muscles in my arms were looking more defined and toned. All the training in the Boundary was seeming to have a light effect on my Material body as well. Not bad. I guess there’s still room for improvement, even when I’m pressed for time here in the Material so don’t have time to work out.
Leaving my room I ran into Kana-chan and Shaeula, both of whom were setting up drinks and snacks in the kitchen and living room. On seeing me, Kana-chan gave a thumbs-up. “Looking good, big bro. still, it makes sense, there’ll be a lot of cute girls coming!”
“Yeah, yeah.” I waved her off. “I’m just here to chaperone, I guess. Though obviously there is one girl I’ll probably need to speak to.”
“Kikuchi-san, right?” Kana-chan agreed. “Just a heads-up, she’s… well, quite the gloomy girl.”
“I see. Well, I hope you can get along with her, if I bring Hisuikomushi shrine into our aegis, I’ll need to offer Kikuchi-san the opportunity to train along with everyone else. Speaking of, I hear Shaeula has already started working with you? I hope it wasn’t too painful. Oh, and… I’d think very carefully about it if Shaeula talks about a lunar chakra. I don’t think humans are supposed to have them. I don’t want to put anyone at risk.”
As Shaeula looked away guiltily, I sighed. Of course. Shaeula always tries to push it too far… As I opened my mouth to chastise her, Kana-chan broke in, defending her. “Come on big bro, don’t be mean to Shaeula. She explained everything to us. Mori-senpai and your sister, they took the risk, right? And if you’d let them, it can’t be that dangerous. Besides…” she smiled as Shaeula nodded at her encouragingly. “…if the worst happens, apparently there’s an emergency treatment that should fix the problems, right?”
Ugh, I’m starting to get a headache. Shaeula looked away once more, taking great interest in the drinks and snacks, and I knew she had been indiscreet. “So, did Shaeula say just what that was?” I pinched my nose, driving away the phantom headache.
“No, but… she did say it had worked before, so I don’t see the problem?” Seriously, I get the bad feeling she means trying for Lovers’ Link. If that worked that might fix problems like it did for Eri, but even so… there’s no guarantees that it would work or she’d even get the skill at all, and even if it did, the price… ugh. No way.
Seeing I looked conflicted Kana-chan was about to ask, when the door chime rang. Shaeula, seeing a way out of my chastisement, quickly piped up. “I see-see our first guests have arrived. I shall get the door, have no fear!”
Kana-chan and I exchanged a look at her flustered speed, and after a moment Kana-chan started laughing, and I smiled myself. “Seriously, big bro. Don’t worry. Do I look like the sort of girl who would put myself in danger? Shaeula seems to know what she’s doing.”
“Hey, you’re that girl from the photos.” One of the newcomers was saying. A pair of girls were at the door, and they were casually yet prettily dressed. On seeing Shaeula they looked very interested. “You look even cuter in person.” The first girl finished, while the second nodded, looking around with interest.
“Whoa, I remember last time we were here this place was just a decrepit old outbuilding.” The second girl said, looking around. “But now it looks really nice. Anyway, damn girl, you are stunning. And that yukata…”
“I thank you. I do feel I am rather charming.” Shaeula agreed. “Now-now, do come in. You are the first to arrive.” As Shaeula stepped aside, revelling in their compliments, the two girls entered, taking off their shoes.
“Mio-chan, Asami-chan.” Kana-chan strode over to them, smiling. “Glad you could make it. I see you’ve met Shaeula already. And this… this is Akio-kun.” She gestured to me to step forwards, so I did, offering polite greetings.
“Hey there. It’s always a pleasure to meet friends of Kana-chan. She and her family have looked after me well. So make yourselves at home. Did you want anything to eat or drink? We have cakes from that famous store a few stops away. I’ve been told they are really good.”
“Kana-chan, hmm?” one of her friends, Asami-san, said. “I see, I see. Very suspicious.”
“I do hear those cakes are great, if it’s the store I think you mean.” Mio-san replied, before looking me over. I felt a bit uncomfortable under her gaze, but continued to smile, not wanting to make a bad impression with Kana-chan’s friends. After an unpleasantly long moment, Mio-san nodded. “Not bad, not bad at all. But…” her gaze strayed to Shaeula.
“Enough of that!” Kana-chan said, scarlet with embarrassment. “You might as well come in until everyone else arrives!”
“No need to get flustered! Obviously we were going to check out the man who has designs on our friend!” Mio-san protested as Kana-chan tried to drag them further into the house.
“Yeah, I mean, he’s a playboy with gorgeous girls hanging off him. You’ve always hated that type…” Asami-san added, and I held in a bitter sigh. Just what do you think of me, or have been telling people? I’ve my hands full with Shaeula and Eri. I’m not looking for more women!
********
“Oh, so this is that building you were taking about!” one girl said, and Kana-chan nodded proudly. Looking around I was surrounded by girls, feeling like a schoolteacher on a field trip. More girls from Kana-chan’s class had turned up at the main shrine, and her cousin Keomi-san was here as well. In addition Marika-san was with us too, as it would have been mean to leave her out, and considering she was new to Tokyo it was good to find her some more friends, even if they were older girls.
Around the building site there were still workers using machinery and assembling frames, since I had paid for constant, seven-day overtime. The basement was now completely dug out and reinforced, and they had now started to assemble the ground and first floors using modular construction techniques. Lucky that the structure of the hill Shirohebizumi shrine occupies was perfect for underground construction, otherwise it would have taken an extra few weeks stabilising the soil and underlying foundations…
“It looks like this is going to be a really impressive building.” Another girl mentioned. “It’s going up so fast too.” They couldn’t get too close due to safety concerns, but the large basement area underground was still visible.
“Yeah, well as long as you are prepared to pay , anything can be done quickly.” I pointed out. “It isn’t quite like that skyscraper that was put up in under forty days in China, but even so… money talks.”
Several of the girls seemed impressed by that, but Mio-san and Asami-san exchanged a meaningful glance. “Suspicious.” Asami-san said, and Mio-san echoed her. “Indeed, Asami-chan. Very suspicious.”
Uh, well, I admit it’s a building for training mysterious powers, but… I doubt Kana-chan has been talking about that? Still, it seemed they indeed weren’t talking about that, as Asami-san asked me a question. “So, why spend all this money building something here, when for the same price you could get a nicer building somewhere else for much less? What’s it even for, anyway?”
“That’s a good question. It’s… well, kind of like a specialist cram school, maybe?” I can’t exactly say it’s due to an alliance with a kami… “Let’s just say I have my reasons for why it’s here, and I think it’ll be worth the extra expense.”
At that most of the girls started giggling and muttering to each other. Kana-chan looked away, her ears pink, while Mio-san and Asami-san were once more exchanging loaded looks. “Hmm, I see. So it was that.” Mio-san mused.
Leaving the girls to chat and giggle as we moved back towards my home, I noticed that one of the girls was not mixing with the group, instead holding herself a bit apart, looking downcast and ill-fitting. Gesturing to Marika-san to come over, as she was an outsider too, I started talking to her, remembering the name she had given when she arrived. “Takagi-san, wasn’t it?”
As I talked to her, she jumped, surprised, looking up at me with her glasses half-covered by her long bangs, hiding her eyes. “Are you talking to me?”
“Who else is here?” I laughed, and she looked down again. Seeing her reaction, I apologised. “Sorry, I’m not mocking you, I promise. I was just curious as you don’t seem to be fitting in with the others.”
“I too am new here.” Marika-san said politely. “So I understand groups of new people can be a little frightening. Still, Izumi-san and her family have been very nice to me, and of course I trust in Akio-sama, so I have faith everything will work out.”
Still with the Akio-sama, I see…
“I… I know them. I just don’t like them much.” Takagi-san admitted, surprising herself, glancing around furtively to see if anyone had heard her, but the other girls were all laughing and poking fun at an embarrassed Kana-chan. On seeing that, she continued. “I’m only here because I worry about Kikuchi-san. The other girls have never liked her, so… I thought they might be going to bully her or something.”
Well, that’s actually surprisingly brave of her. I know what it’s like to lack confidence. To be honest I still had flashes of unworthiness, worrying I wasn’t able to bring Shaeula, Eri and my family and friends the happiness they deserved. But then, everyone supports me, so I can do my best. And I will succeed.
“You don’t have to worry about that.” I assured her. “I was the one who wanted to speak to Kikuchi-san and her father. They also run a shrine with a long history. I have some business with them, nothing more. But it’s pretty decent of you, looking out for a classmate. You must be a good friend.”
At my praise she sighed, looking down once more. “I’m hardly her friend. I just… I don’t like the popular girls in class. Always looking down on the rest of us, treating us like we are lesser, just because we aren’t pretty.”
Ouch. Girls have it hard too, I guess. Marika-san looked a bit unsure of what to answer, so I decided to step up.
“Hey, don’t be so down on yourself. A change of hairstyle, a bit of make-up, I’m sure you could be cute enough.” At my words she let out an unintelligible noise. “… besides, I get it, I do. I was hardly mister popular myself. School was pretty tough. Uni wasn’t so bad, but it’s not like I ever dated or anything up until a few weeks ago. You’ll always have chances to reinvent yourself if you put in an effort. Besides, Kana-chan is a nice girl, I don’t think she’d bully someone over nothing.”
Damn, the minute I said that just happened to be the time the conversation with the other girls entered a lull. Now several of them were laughing at me, and Kana-chan was trying to scuttle off, her friends holding her arms so she couldn’t escape.
On drawing everyone’s attention, Takagi-san shrank in on herself. Still, on seeing my kind smile she made up her mind to keep talking, annoyed. “Hardly. Don’t lie to me. I’ve heard the other girls talking. Why should I listen to a handsome, rich guy who is cheating on a couple of gorgeous girls? Winners in life like you can’t understand what us at the bottom think! Besides, you only like Izumi-san because she’s pretty, what do you really know about her? So shallow…”
Ouch. That hurt my feelings a bit. At her tirade Kana-chan and several other girls looked incensed, ready to speak up, but I held up my hand, exerting my Majesty, and everyone fell silent, hanging on my every word. I looked at Takagi-san, and she flinched away, perhaps expecting me to be angry, but my smile soothed her.
“Now I get that you feel a bit out of place. Still, if you lash out at others, aren’t you doing just what you accused the other girls of?”
“I… well…” she began, but I shrugged, interrupting.
“Look, I’m not mad, okay? If anything, I guess I should be flattered you felt able to have a go at me like that, right?” my smile robbed the words of any sting, and Takagi-san looked down again, a little flushed. “I’m not lying. Up until a couple of months ago I was single, working a dead end freelancing job, and while I’ve been told I always had decent enough looks, without confidence… well, even girls who might be interested couldn’t get over my wall of inferiority. I had a childhood friend, Eri. I always used to look out for her. She was shy, just like you. I mean, REALLY shy, she was famous for it on our hometown.”
“Yeah, well she doesn’t seem so shy now.” Kana-chan complained. “She really tore into me when we met. I don’t think she likes me much.” There was laughter at her expense, lightening the mood, and I shot her a brief thumbs-up behind my back to thank her.
“In any case… she finally worked up the courage to confess to me at a festival. I… well, I accepted because I wanted to make her happy, not that I felt I deserved a relationship with her. But you know…” I continued, bending down until I could look Takagi-san in the face. “… if you try to make others happy, be kind to others, you’ll be happier yourself. After all, it’s easier to believe in what others think of you. Even so, unless you learn to love yourself, it’s meaningless. You worry about Kikuchi-san, so you must be a nice girl. Take some pride in that. And have some fun. You came all this way, right?”
“Indeed.” Marika-san chimed in, happy to have something she could say. “Kana-san, Keomi-san and her family have been very good to me, to say nothing of Shaeula-sama. They will treat you with kindness, I am sure.”
“Don’t worry about it, Takagi-san.” Kana-chan agreed. “I may only be pretty, as you say, but I’m not petty enough to bully you over a compliment.” She snickered. “Nor will I do anything to block the plans big bro… err, I mean Akio-kun has going on. Kikuchi-san and I will end up being friends in time, I’m sure. Marika-chan too.”
“And me, and me!” Keomi-san piped up as well.
“So, take some advice from someone older.” I finished. “It can be difficult to take a first step, but you can either gather your courage and do it yourself, or let someone who cares about you give you a push. But… at least for today, pretend that you fit in, and who knows, you might well have fun and want to do it again.”
Having given my advice, which while I didn’t say it as smoothly as I would have liked, was heartfelt, she nodded, and one girl, who was Noguchi-san, if I recalled correctly, jumped in. “Yeah, it’s a party, right? I can hardly wait… besides, I am just dying to ask… what was it like to fight yakuza? Izumi-san won’t tell us much about it, but my cousin is in the police, and they said it was a real big mess…”
As other girls echoed her, curiosity in their eyes, especially Mio-san and Asami-san, I launched into a somewhat edited tale of my heroics, earning a lot of praise and admiring looks. Beside me, Marika-san had taken the hand of Takagi-san and led her back to the group. Watching them go I smiled warmly. Yeah, Marika-san is really mature for her age. If she shows such diligence in her training with Shaeula, who knows how far she might go…?
********
On finishing the tour of the shrine grounds we returned to my home for the party, where Shaeula was finishing up preparing (well, that or slacking off and playing games), I found two people waiting outside, one of whom I recognised. On seeing me, his eyes went wide, but after a nervous swallow, he bowed to me, his daughter, who was wearing shrine maiden clothes, standing nervously behind him, her own gaze taking in the large number of girls from her class uneasily.
The priest still looked a bit frail and pale, which was unsurprising considering he had been in a coma in hospital for a month. Still, he managed to introduce himself and his daughter. “Good afternoon. I am Kikuchi Shuta. I have come at your request. This is my daughter, Maiko.”
“He-hello.” She stammered, bowing herself.
“Seriously, no need to be so nervous.” I reassured them. “Maiko-san… I can call you that, right, or it’s going to get confusing?”
Maiko-san agreed, still nervous, so I continued. “Maiko-san, why not spend some time with the other girls? There’s food, drinks and games inside. My… my friend Shaeula is inside and she’ll take care of you all. I’ll be back later when I’ve discussed my business with Kikuchi-san here.”
“Don’t be shy, Maiko.” Kikuchi-san sighed. “No-one will bother you here.”
“Right.” Kana-chan agreed. “I know we don’t exactly hang around together at school, but we both are daughters of the shrines, aren’t we? So we should get along. There’s a few girls you wouldn’t expect here, right?”
On looking around, Maiko-san nodded slowly, very surprised to see girls like Noguchi-san and Takagi-san present.
“In that case, I’ll see you later big bro. I hope your business goes well.” She grinned. “You girls are going to just love Shaeula. Come, come!” with that she ushered everyone inside, leaving me alone with Kikuchi-san.
“Right then. Shall we head to the main shrine to talk?”