“So, care to expin why you aren’t dead?” Detective Kato asked. “We have your severed hand, although thinking about it…” he touched his stomach, remembering when he was shot and nearly died, and the healing I did to keep him from bleeding out and hasten his recovery. “… our Oshiro-san here has quite the healing hands, doesn’t he? If you regrow lost body parts, you could make a fortune. Anyway, Kondou Kazuo fessed to your murder. Even without you being dead, he’d still be due the death penalty for the others, but even so…”

  “No, I am dead.” Haru-san said sadly, and the Detective bli that.

  “Sorry, could you repeat that?” he asked, perturbed.

  “I am dead. That man… he killed me. But Kiku brought me back as a sve to her, with her nails.” She shuddered. “But I’m dead. Definitely. A ghost.”“A ghost? Sure, that makes sense… did you think I’d believe that? I’ve seen a lot of strahings and mysterious powers, but raising the dead isn’t something I’ll easily swallow.”

  “Akio-kun…” Haru-san called me, surprising me, as she didn’t seem that close to me before. “I want to show the Detective. Is everyorustworthy?”

  “Of course. We are ied to Akio-kun, just as you seem to be.” Karen- grinned. “We have been taken into his fidence, and if we bb, well, that Hinata- is quite the scary girl, I doubt she’d let us get away with it.”

  “Fihen. someone bring me a knife?” Haru-san asked, and after some rummaging a sharp knife used for cuttiables was found, the edge gleaming and tapered. Haru-san took it gingerly, and reversed her grip on it, the bde pointing towards her neck.

  “Hey, wait…” the Detective said, panicked, but Haru-san paid him no mind. She thrust, and the bde slid into her cloth-covered throat. Everyone except Shaeu and I panicked (well, Hyath didher as she was busy in her element ing, humming to herself) but Haru-san merely sighed, sweeping the khrough her flesh repeatedly.

  “See? I’m dead. An Onryo, a vengeful ghost killed by a man. Even this borrowed form Akio bestowed oill retains the properties of a ghost.” Under her veil she smiled weakly.

  “So, how you hold an object them? you be touched?” the Detective held out his hand to grab hers, but Haru-san flinched away, causing Officer Usui to sigh loudly, chiding him.

  “Seriously, Detective. Calm down! You know Suzuki-san was a victim of assault, being touched by strange men is the st thing she’d want now.” She turo Haru, speaking with a kind tone. “But just to verify, I take your hand?”

  Haru-san nodded, pulling off one glove and her own pale hand for a shake. Officer Usui took it, and gripped it firmly. “Feels normal to me. I?” She took the knife and after a brief moment of hesitation, her on sense warring with what she had seen, she stabbed it down through Haru-san’s palm, wing in advance of the expected feeling of cut flesh and pierced bone, only to gasp in shock as the bde passed through, falling to the floor, making everyone jump, her expectations shattered.

  “See?” Haru-san said sadly. “I’m definitely dead. Only thanks to Akio-kun I e home, see daddy again, breathe the air, eat and drink, watch TV…” she started to cry, her emotioing the better of her, and Officer Usui and Shaeu soled her while she wept, leaving us guys sharing an unfortable silence, until Karen- broke it.

  “So, uh… you bring back the dead then? Are you… a god?” she asked, half-serious, and I shook my head in denial, but before I could answer, Shaeu spoke up from where she was hugging the sobbing Haru-san.

  “Hardly a god, no. Akio is rather powerful though. But Haru, her circumstances were quite-quite special. Her soul yet remains, as does several other victims of Kondou Kazuo, though many have goo their eternal rest. So please do not-not die, Karen, for Akio would not-not be able to save you. It was the vile arts of Kiku, coupled with his power, that created this-this miracle.” That’s a bit rich, sidering your Kin Bonding, but you are right. Returning from death is a rare and precious gift indeed.

  “I see.” Karen- said weakly, aive Kato spoke up. “So, where is this Kiku now? I believe she is the aplice Kondou spoke of who betrayed him?”

  “Yeah. But she’s dead and gooo. She was beyond help, so sending that vengeful ghost back to her rest was the only way.”

  “I slew her myself.” Shaeu affirmed. “It is quite-quite the shame, as she would have made a good-good ally for Akio, but I would rather have Haru now-now.”

  “I see. Well, if she was a ghost too, I expect it is teically not illegal to kill her… or is it even killing what is already dead? Damn.” Detective Kato scratched his head. “You weren’t lying when you said we needed new ws and a new police force to deal with the ging world.”

  “Yeah, anyway…” I turo Noboru-san. “ you nip out a Haru-san a phone and a few other essentials, and draw her out some money? She o experience being back to shake off her gloom.” As he nodded, I turo Taku-san. “As for you, you get the camera set up, we o take photographs of everyone for their new dots.”

  “And me?” Karen- asked.

  “As for you…” my grin was wicked, causing Karen- to look nervous. “… I need you to make a couple of phone calls. The first, is to this guy here…” I showed her my phone.

  “That says… personal secretary to the Prime Minister?” Karen- gasped. “That’s a niame, right?”

  “I doubt it.” Detective Kato said, knowing who I was acquainted with, and I echoed him.

  “Yeah, I’m afraid it’s legit. Tell the secretary that I o speak to the Prime Minster regarding Suzuki Haru and her father. He should make time, especially if Fujiwara-san has spoken to him, if you tell him it’s a go, ahead of schedule.”

  At that Haru-san winced, but I reassured her. “Don’t worry. Take today to get your thoughts in o out, go shoppi some parfait, do girly stuff. I’ll be there with you when you see your father again, it’ll be all right.”

  “Well, I still remember whe your father, Suzuki-san.” Officer Usui said. “He was so devastated at your death. I hate that part of the job. But I hought I’d have this part of it, where we could reunite a father with his dead daughter. Makes you think, huh?”

  It sure does. Again, I’ve had a lot of good from the gift Ortlinde and Tyr gave me. This is one of them. One sad story that otherwise would have been onpce evil has now beeurned. I ’t save everyone, but those within my reach… those I .

  Karen- was on the phone, sweat on her brow. “Yes, you don’t know me, no. How did I get this number? Uh, well, my boss, Oshiro Akio… oh yes, you know of him? Great. Well… uh, how to say this. He o speak to the Prime Minister urgently. Yes, yes, I know he’s busy, he’s the leader of the try, I get that. But… well, it’s about Suzuki Haru. It’s a go, apparently ahead of schedule. Please pass it on. Yes, of course I’ll hold…” She put the phone down with a wince as cheery hold-music began to py on her speakers. “Damn, that was nerve-wrag… anyway, it’s been a day for it, hasn’t it?”

  Yeah, that reminds me… “So, what brings you here., Detective? You didn’t know about Haru-san, so it seems an odd ce.”

  “I don’t believe in ce.” He decred. “Though this time it was one. I was actually here to see your secretary, here.”

  “Karen-, why?” I asked, and she grimaced sourly, still on hold.

  “Turns out my ex-boss and his firm was involved in some dodgy shit. Well, I khat, but… oh wait a minute...” The hold music stopped and she began talking to the secretary again.

  “I take over.” Detective Kato decred. “Well, when we went over the details with the illegal loan sharks, it turned out they had tad dealings with a number of panies in the greyer sector of finand yakuza-adjat industries such as pako, soapnds and hostess bars, as well as actually illegal matters such as underground gambling. Most of them we ’t do much more than keep an eye on, though we have mao shut down a few gambling rings. However their finanpany is one your secretary used to work for. Small world, huh? Anyway, we pulled the boss and his high-ranking staff in, and when we saw the books, it seems Watanabe-sao work for them, so we o question her. It was a shock when we found out she now works for you.”

  “Her boss was bribing our dirty cops too.” Officer Usui chuckled. “So he’s going down, his pany too. From what Karen-san was saying before you arrived, it seems he was a true scumbag, so he’s no loss. I hear you promised her you’d crush him. Looks like you did it by act.” Her smile was vicious and satisfied.

  Yeah, even hearing about her abusive employer pissed me off. Well, I guess if you do good deeds, you get rewarded. I’ll have to thank Ichika-san toet Shaeu to do it. “Well, I’m sure Karen- will cooperate with you if…” I was cut off as she handed me the phone, mouthing it was the Prime Minister, her facredulous.

  “I need a pay rise to deal with this stress…” she whispered as I took it, and I grinned, knowing she was joking. Hopefully, anyway. “Hello, this is Oshiro Moonstone Akio speaking.”

  “Yes, I know.” The Prime Minister said, and I reised his voice from our meeting at Fujiwara-san’s party. “I’ve been keeping appraised of your exploits. Tsumura-san tells me you officially got eo his granddaughter, yet strangely enough I hear you already were eo the heiress to Nichibotsu teology. Bigamy is a crime you know.” He said chidingly.

  “Well, please turn a blind eye, or ge the w.” I joked. “Seriously, I’ll sort something out. I’ve had enough of being arrested.”

  “You’d better. Fujiwara-san was on the phone earlier, pining you had been toying with his granddaughter too, taking her for your own. You are a brave man, people who piss off that old geezer don’t tend to meet good ends. Although with all your women, I’d imagine yetting stabbed long before that.”

  Seriously, that’s teically accurate, as she’s a vassal now, but that phrasing is hellishly misleading. “Don’t worry, I’ll do anything to avoid a nice boat sario.” There was silent fusion at the end of the phone on that, so I tinued. “As for Miyu, she’s helpih my work. It turns out she has talent so… well, she reached out to a schoolfriend, who happeo be Fukumoto Hinata, so I ended up taking her under my wing, which I think is for the best. That’s all.”

  “I see. Miyu huh? That sounds awfully intimate to me. But I’ll take your word for it. Oh, before we get down to business, there is some news. We have tio pressure the Ameris over your i. Those meraries you captured gave us some useful information, nothing major, but enough to embarrass the Ameris. So they’ve agreed some further pensation and cessions if we give up on some rievances. We discuss it when we meet.” He paused. “So… seriously. Suzuki Haru? She’s alive? If this is some sort of trick you’ll kill her father. He’s barely been funing sihe news of her death. Poor bastard. I’m a father too, so I know just how he feels.”

  We’ve had this versation. She’s still dead… but that will only fuse matters. “Well, it’s more plicated than that, but she’s here now. She’s a bit shaken by everything, as you imagine, so I thought she could spend today remembering what it is to be alive. Could we set up a meeting tomorrow with her father? I believe Fujiwara-san wants to attend as well.”

  “Right, right. Well I am extremely busy as you imagine, but a good k of that are problems you and your fellow superhumans are causing. The Ministry of Fn Affairs are tearing their hair out trying to stay calm handling this mess. The military too, though Tsumura-san is doing good work there. He’ll probably need more help from you in due course.”

  Fn Affairs? The Ameris? “Really? You’ve found more didates then? I’ve not heard anything about it.”

  “You wouldn’t. Luckily is have been small in scale and we’ve been able to cover them up, and every try we’ve spoken to, from the US on down, has been in agreement to keep knowledge of you all sealed for as long as possible. But if you liken secrecy to a dam, then you bastards are the ke behind it, and the dam is straining, starting to crack with every ill-advised thing one of you does. It’ll burst soon, so we have to be ready.”

  Well, it has been nearly three months. Yeah, those didates who are successful in the Boundary should be accumuti amounts of strength by now. I see some of them causing trouble, though hopefully most of them will draw less attention than I did. I still felt ashamed of hoy-go-lucky I had been with information sharing, putting everyo risk. “Well, I have some ideas on how roceed on that. I’d be more than happy to help, as a sultant.”

  “So, you want fees, huh?”

  “Not moary ones, merely some harmless cessions.” I o run it past Hinata, but I think I use this. “But those are matters for aime. Suzuki Haru.” I reminded him, and he coughed.

  “Oh, yes. Well, tomorrow should be fine. My secretary will text you a time. Bring her along then. Damn, I’m happy for Suzuki-san, but… how are you going to expin it?”

  “Well, it’s obviously her, so I thought… the truth?”

  “Novel. Well, I do like an ho man.” We made a little more small-talk, before I could hear his secretary shouting about a meeting with the Minister for Fn Affairs. “Well, I must go, Oshiro-san. More iional troubles.”

  “Good luck with that!” I ughed, as he hung up. I turo realise everyone was looking at me. “What? Why the surprise?”

  “It’s just you seem rather fortable chatting with the leader of this entire try.” Karen- said, and Officer Usui agreed.

  ”Yeah, no kidding. You are a weird one, Oshiro-san. You switch from bumbling idiot to calm and collected, seemingly at will.”

  That hurts my feelings a little! “Well, why should I be worried? I’m delivering good news. Anyway, that’s settled now, Haru-san. You stay in that room tonight, and we’ll meet your father tomorrow. When Noboru-saurns with a phone and money, feel free to enjoy yourself. It’ll be a tough day tomorrow, emotionally.”

  “Right.” She nodded, drying her eyes. “But… after I meet daddy, what will I do? What do you wao do?”

  “I don’t know yet. Your abilities are great, so we’ll have to work out where they fit. But worry about that after tomorrow. Hey, Hyath, are you done?” I called, and she scurried over, dirty ing rag in hand.

  “Yes, I am. All , all !”

  “Great. Then it’s time to head to Shirohebizumi shrine and introduce Shirohebi to his loyal adherents.”

  “Much as I’d love to see that, we have work to do.” Detective Kato turo Haru-san. “I apologise for my earlier hastiness. I was rather shocked to see the dead walk. No offense.”

  “aken.” She replied slowly. “I am dead, after all.”

  “At least you’ve kept a sense of humour.” Officer Usui smiled. “Well, we’ve established Watanabe-san had nothing to do with the crimes her old firm itted, so I guess we are done. I daresay we’ll see you again.”

  I nodded. “Yeah, I think so too.” After all, the need for police who deal with didates and creatures from the Boundary is growing, especially after what the Prime Minister said…

  ********

  “This beggars belief…” Izumi-san said, slumping down in his chair, eyes wide with shock. “I know my granddaughter met him in the spiritual realm, but even so, to see our kami…” tears were f in his eyes. “Son, did you ever dream this day would e? It is like the tales of our aors, when they detailed the kami, yokai and spirits walking the earth, before sd secur times took over.”

  “Yes, father.” Daichi-san agreed, also incredibly emotional, as he looked at the androgynous Shirohebi, who was sitting cross-legged at the table, sipping elegantly on some tea, serpentine eyes narrowed in pleasure. “It is a miracle. No, it is what Oshiro-san promised us. Though you did say it would take until Christmas, did you not?”

  “Yeah well, the situation ged. Everyone has worked hard, so I mao gather the relevant spiritual resources faster than anticipated. And Shirohebi here graciously agreed to work with me, so here we are. It’s all thanks to your fht in allowing me ownership of the shrine.”

  “I am mossst pleasssed at your ssstewardssship of thisss sssacred ssshrine.” Shirohebi hissed sibintly, and at his praise the two older men looked as if they were children receiving the birthday present they wanted. “Akio here hasss been a fair neighbour and a good massster. You have doo trussst him.”

  Its praise pleased them, though one part of it caught the attention of Masaji-san. “Master?” he raised one greying eyebrow. “A kami would serve a mortal man?”

  “Ssserve? In mattersss not of the ssspiritual, yesss.” Shirohebi said slowly. “Asss for hisss mortality, isss he? I think not, and Thisss powerful ssspirit ssservesss at his ssside, no?” It Shaeu, who was also enjoying tea, as well as some delicious homemade cream cakes Nagi-san was serving.

  “Indeed.” She muttered, when she hastily swallowed the cream in her mouth. “Your kami is wise. The Shrine in the Boundary is rather-rather impressive now. We have made many improvements. There is no-no shame in serving Akio. I am his lover, so it is quite-quite different for me, but even was I not-not, I would allow him to lead me to victory.”

  The two priests still looked troubled, but Nagi-san sighed, speaking spiratorially to Shaeu, though her whispers were ically loud, clearly meant to be heard. “Shaeu dear, Kana was very impressed by what she saw. She came back all pink and trembling. She told us ‘Akio is incredible, Shaeu too, there was this huge tree, and a shiny building with golden snakes, and so much more…’, she couldn’t stop gushing. What was it she said after that? Oh yes, it was ‘Akio, we ’t let him get away! If rger shrines get their cws in him he might be lured away. He’s ours, I found him first!’.” She giggled charmingly, not looking her age. “Kana seems determio hold onto you, Akio. It makes sense. After all, we are a shrine family. I may have married in, but I know how important it is to my husband and father-in-w.” She turo them then. “Kana never used to like the shrine, she was ashamed of it and our poverty. Now she is genuinely ied. And who do we have to thank for that, and this miracle? Besides shouldn’t you trust that yod knows best?”

  As Nagi-san expressed her thoughts as somewhat of an outsider, Shaeu nodding approvingly, not fetting to gluttonously devour more snacks, I grinned, happy. Hyath was ing up some of the ue rooms that hadn’t been verted into Marika-san’s bedroom, the mess intolerable to her, and she had also been a shock for the shrine, seeing another spiritual being like Shaeu. Oh well, this is well in hand. Time to do another matter I’ve put off long enough. I pulled out my phone and dialled a number. Putting it to my ear, I waited for an answer. And waited. And waited. No answer huh? And as usual her answerphone is switched off, as she says she never needs it. I checked the time, and it was still early afternoon. She could be in css, maybe? Though to be ho she skips half of them. Her grades are good enough to get away with it, and she alull the health card…

  I hung up and fired Shiro a text, askio call me when she was free, before turning my attention back to the versation, which was reag a clusion.

  “… so, this is a good thing for us, our shrine, ood kami here…” Nagi-san smiled brightly at Shirohebi. “… and our daughter. The other shrines have good fortuoo, but it’s only ours that see their kami in the flesh right now, no?”

  “Others may join us in time.” Shaeu nodded. “But the resources required now are signifit, if we wish-wish for more. And we have many demands on our time and powers. Shirohebi is here-here as Akio believes in fulfilling Oaths, as all should, and he would not-not wish to disappoint Kana.”

  “Oh my!” Nagi-san covered her mouth in mock-surprise and I rolled my eyes at that. I’m pretty sure that impressing Kana was ly a priority for me. But Shaeu would see it like that, I guess…

  “Putting that aside.” I drew everyone’s attention. “I think it’s time that we expahe training to you as well, Masaji-san, Nagi-san. After all, the shrine is likely to bee the tre of Tokyo faith, and I’d feel better if we had the insurance of you all having some extra power.”

  “Me as well?” Nagi-san asked, surprised, and I nodded.

  “Yeah, you as well. I don’t want to see a of the yakuza attack, but wouldn’t you feel some peaind being a bit stronger? It might just be enough to prevent future problems, although with Hyath, Grulgor, Ixitt and Haru-san able to traverse both worlds now, we have less issues with security, although I expect they’ll all be pushed for time. Besides…” I asked her seriously. “… won’t you feel left out if your husband, father-in-w and daughter are all involved, and you aren’t? My mother and mother-in-w are both training too, so I believe it’s for the best.”

  “Fine.” Nagi-san said, smiling shyly. “I ’t say I’m not curious about what has my daughter so excited. It was quite the day she came running back to the shrine, with news of you. My husband was chewing her out, acg her of skipping chores to py around with her friends, and…”

  As Nagi-san reminisced, I found myself smiling at her exaggerated tales of Kana. This is ’s been a tough week, and I had little time to rex yesterday, what with the situation with Miyu. Tomorrow will be stressful as well, meeting Haru-san’s father, so I might as well enjoy today…

  ShipTeaser