Torii Hearts Who? More Like, Torii Visuals

The next day began with misery.

Not explosive misery. The quiet, sulky kind that seeps into the tatami floor. Eight children trudged into the shrine classroom like their souls had been inconvenienced. Shoulders slumped. Tails dragging. Wings drooping. Even Mon’s hat looked offended by existence.

‘They met them,’ Gon muttered, face pressed to the table. ‘All of them.’

‘Actual celebrities,’ Mon added darkly. ‘With cameras.’

Akashi growled. ‘I could’ve arm-wrestled a dragon prince.’

‘Apparently, the Spirit Idol bowed to them.’ Sumire sighed.

Kishin made a small, wounded noise and clutched his bat like it had betrayed him.

Honey stared at the ceiling. ‘I wanted to see the shiny fox lady.’

Mutsuki stood at the front of the room, watching the collective sulk pile with the expression of a man bracing himself before stepping into cold water. Youchan lingered by the doorway, already smiling like she knew exactly how this would go. 

Mutsuki clapped his hands lightly. ‘Enough heavy talk,’ he said. ‘Time to make all of you pretty, harmless liars. Line up for transformation practice.’

He started with the naturals.

‘Mon,’ he said. ‘Show me your best disguise. Normal human boy. No glitter, no props, no agency audition.’

Mon flipped his hat and tossed it aside with dramatic flair. His body shimmered. His tanuki traits slipped neatly under the illusion, leaving a compact, bright-eyed boy with messy brown hair and the exact face of someone who would accidentally go viral. Only his eyes still held a little too much mischief.

‘How’s this?’ he grinned.

‘Dangerous,’ Kojiro said.

‘Marketable,’ Gon added.

‘Passable,’ Mutsuki said. ‘Tone down the sparkle by ten percent and you’ll walk through any city without causing a riot. Good job.’

Gon strutted forward. ‘My turn.’

His tails vanished into an illusion, leaving a fluffy keychain dangling from his belt. His ears tucked neatly into his hair. His entire figure softened into a slightly short, very stylish boy with a smug smile and too nice shoes. He snapped his fingers and his glamour added a fake smartphone.

‘This is my ‘‘pretending to be a normal student but obviously destined for greatness’’ look,’ he announced.

‘You look like a child actor,’ Youchan observed.

‘Thank you,’ he said.

Honey stepped up, small and solid and already very human-shaped.

Mutsuki smiled. ‘You, Honey, don’t need much. Just, please less glowing eyes when you’re happy. And, no hugging.’

‘No hugging?’ He pouted.

‘Only for your friends.’

He brightened. ‘Ok.’

Meow crept forward.

‘For you,’ Mutsuki said, ‘we try partial glamour. Let the humans think you’re just… very dedicated to cat fashion.’

She blushed and followed. Gentle waves of magic smoothed her real ears into her hair, making them look like cute, slightly too-big accessories. Her tail faded into a belt with a fluffy charm. She looked like a school-age cat-girl.

‘Do I look… weird…?’

‘You look like you’re going to a neko cafe,’ Honey said.

‘Humans love that,’ Mutsuki added. ‘Very on trend.’

Meow’s shoulders relaxed. ‘Ok…’

Kojiro’s turn.

‘Please remove the demon crow edge,’ Mutsuki said. ‘Wings, mask, blood color. You’re trying to buy bread, not declare war.’

‘Ok, but I will only show Youchan and Mutsuki.’ He announced.

Mutsuki covered him with an illusion barrier that allows only him and Youchan to see in to. He nodded for Kojiro to begin.

His aura folded in obediently quickly. Wings retracted. The shadow of the tengu mask faded from his face, leaving sharp but human features. His hair darkened to a normal black. His red accents muted to maroon. Kojiro turned out to be a very handsome little boy.

‘Respectable,’ Youchan nodded.

‘Looks like a child version of Sasuke,’ Mutsuki agreed. ‘Afraid you might grow to become more handsome than me.’

Kishin shuffled forward like a condemned man.

‘Just the horns and red skin for now,’ Mutsuki said gently. ‘You’re already very close to human. We just want to avoid any fainting.’

Kishin screwed his eyes shut. His horns trembled, then slowly slid under his scalp, disappearing. His sharp teeth dulled to semi-normal.

He peeked up. ‘I feel… naked…’

‘You look very cute,’ Honey said.

‘You’ll still be terrifying with the bat,’ Mon added.

‘It’s good practice,’ Mutsuki said. ‘You can grow them back whenever you like.’

Akashi cracked his neck as he walked forward.

‘You need control,’ Mutsuki told him. ‘Not more power. No more random furry hands when you sneeze. Human to wolf. Wolf to human. Clean transitions.’

‘Hn.’

They worked. Full human. Full wolf. No half measures. After a few attempts and one accidental tail, Akashi got it.

He smirked. ‘I can go to a human playground and nobody will know until it’s too late.’

‘There should be no “too late”,’ Mutsuki said.

Finally, he turned to Sumire.

‘Our princess,’ he said. ‘Ready to try again?’

She floated forward with water shimmering around her ankles.

‘Of course,’ she said confidently. ‘I will be a perfect human lady in one try.’

‘Remember,’ he said, ‘no one is asking you to become less yourself. Just… add another option. Another outfit. Like me.’

She nodded and closed her eyes. Magic rose around her, water twining like silk. Her scales shimmered. Her skin glowed. Then… nothing.

She opened one eye. ‘Again,’ she muttered.

She tried manifesting water to her forehead. But without a bowl, it just sloshed back, dampening her hair. Mon and Gon snorted.

‘Problem?’ Sumire said dangerously.

Gon smiled too quickly. ‘No, no, just, uhh… you are… how do I put this… very… yokai.’

Mon nodded. ‘Yeah, yeah. You need to… uh… downgrade first.’

‘Downgrade,’ she repeated.

‘Like… make yourself plainer,’ Gon said. ‘Then transform that plain into pretty. Right now you’re already at max pretty. There’s no room to move.’

‘Start ugly, then upgrade,’ Mon agreed.

Kishin winced. Kojiro sighed.

Meow’s ears flattened. ‘That’s… not…’

Sumire’s eyes filled. ‘Ugly,’ she whispered.

‘Training ugly!’ Mon corrected rapidly. ‘Temporary ugly!’

‘You want me to be ugly so humans won’t stare,’ she said, voice shaking. ‘You want me to be less.’

‘We want you not arrested by spirit police,’ Gon said. ‘It’s different.’

‘Enough,’ Mutsuki cut in.

But Sumire had already turned away, tears trembled on her lashes.

‘I understand,’ she said stiffly. ‘I am… too much. Again.’

Water splashed around her ankles as she fled. The door slid shut behind her with a soft slam.

Mon sagged. ‘We messed up.’

Gon swallowed. ‘We messed up so badly.’

The rest of the class glared.

Honey put her paws on her hips. ‘You hurt Sumire.’

Meow puffed up. ‘Mean.’

Kishin shook his head. ‘Uncool.’

Kojiro pinched the bridge of his nose. ‘You two have the emotional range of a brick.’

Akashi folded his arms. ‘You better fix it.’

Youchan rose smoothly from her spot. ‘Leave Sumire-chan to Sensei for now,’ she said. ‘I’ll deal with you two.’

‘We’re doomed,’ Mon whispered.