Not counting on you

The sun is already dipping, yet it's barely four in the afternoon. He'll have to tolerate this place for at least an hour or two.

A thick blend of greasy and saccharine odors assaults him from all directions. Every so often, a wagon full of screams rattles past and breaks his concentration.

"Remind me again, what part of this is supposed to be fun?" he asks.

Still drunk, though almost steady now, Avery gives him a puzzled look.

"Um… everything? Doesn't the smell make you hungry? Or the cool rollercoaster beg you to ride it? And look at the Ferris wheel! Bet you can see the whole city from up there. Don't you want to?"

His head shakes—plain and slow.

"Well, it doesn't matter," she adds. "With all this around us, something has to catch your interest. I still can't believe you've lived this close to an amusement park and never gone."

"Right about now, I could be doing anything else and feel a lot more productive."

"So grumpy. By the end of today, I'm going to find something that turns that frown around and makes you glad you took a break."

"Good luck with that. I mean it."

From stop to stop, she drags him along, tossing money at one distraction after another.

A twenty-minute wait in line ends with the attendant telling them Atsunori is too big to fit in the ride. The cotton candy she buys is so sickly sweet it makes his teeth ache. Each loudspeaker they pass sends a throb through his skull.

After he grunts in frustration at the rigged cork-gun game, the intimidated owner apologizes and hands him a stuffed toy free of charge.

They give it to a nearby child. Her timid smile is the only bright spot in an otherwise irritating place.

Actually, there is another…

Rather than bouncing from place to place, Avery maintains a controlled—albeit wobbly—pace, scanning each booth and storefront. Many of them catch her eye, but she doesn't lunge. Only occasionally does she glance back at him with a hopeful, "Maybe this one?"

Enduring a little longer seems fair, if only to honor her effort and self-restraint. Still, nothing will budge his opinion: the whole outing is a colossal waste of time. He's only doing this to uphold his part of the deal.

When they try a haunted house, they catch up to a slow-moving couple ahead, who scream and bolt upon seeing Atsunori in the dark. The stage show she insists he watches amuses only the kids and Avery herself. Later, he sits on a bench that turns out to be soaked with spilled soda.

Avery is about to suggest yet another spot, but…

"Enough. It's getting late."

"Alright, last one then."

"No more last ones. This is the third time you've said that. You had your fun, I tried to have mine, but it's time to go."

"But I… you barely smiled all day, and it was only when you made that kid happy."

"I barely smile as is. Don't blame yourself, it was still a good experience." A necessary white lie. "Either way, tomorrow we'll have a real break at the estate."

For a moment, she seems about to protest again—which would start testing his patience—but instead, she nods, and they leave.

Seems there's no turning my frown around.

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟

On their way back, the streets feel far calmer than the chaos they left behind. A chill breeze drifts pass, carrying the mixed scents of car fumes and city air.

"Ah, I just remembered something important," she pipes up. "You know how I was studying some Yokai stuff right before the bad guy showed up?"

Already, the amusement park failure has left her mind.

"And?" he asks.

"Tengu can do illusions. Isn't that, like, dangerous?"

"We're fine there. Reiji can't do them."

"You mean the bad Tengu, right? How can you be so sure?"

"Because a Blessing only grants the most prominent powers of the Yokai who gave it. Tengu Blessings give you flight, wind magic and some martial art skill, but no illusion magic. That's too secondary to a Tengu's nature, so it doesn't get inherited."

"Are you sure? What if that guy can do illusions because he's super special or powerful or something?"

"That's fair, but the Elders are wise. If such a risk existed, they'd have taken measures, or maybe they have and we just don't know. When I told them about the Yokai who gave you a Blessing—"

"You mean Blake?"

"That one, yes. I warned them we might need precautions against illusions. They told me to rest assured, meaning they have it all under control. My only job is to track Reiji so I can deal with him."

"It still feels like you're putting too much blind faith in them. Maybe we could prepare a small precaution ourselves, just in case?"

"And what would you have in mind?"

"Um… nothing. Actually, I was hoping you'd know something."

"Only the family priests, or Yokai specialized in illusions, can implement such countermeasures. So if you're that worried, maybe you should take your training more seriously."

"Fine, fine, I'll figure something out, just give me some time."

"Don't worry, I already told you I'm not counting on you."

"Now that was unnecessarily mean."

Avery smiles, and so does Atsunori.

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟

After a few train stops they leave the station just minutes from the estate, still chatting about trivial things.

"I've probably tried at least half of the activities you can think of, and I'm pretty good at most of them," she says.

"And then you nag me for not taking breaks."

"Well, yeah, cause they count as such. If anything, I take too many breaks… wait, maybe I shouldn't admit that. Anyway, I also—"

A dog on a nearby terrace erupts into loud barking. After a blink, a man bursts around the corner ahead, sprinting straight toward them, eyes wide.

"Help! I'm under assault!"

Atsunori's gaze flicks to the figure behind the man—the pursuer closing fast, silent and precise.

With a shift, Atsunori's feet plant firmly, knees flexing like coiled springs.

Time seems to stretch. The man is only a few feet away, closely followed by the pursuer.

Then Atsunroi moves. His fist drives forward, cold and efficient.

It connects with the chased man's side, right in his liver. A strangled cough replaces the scream as he crumples.

"Eh!? Atsun, what are you doing?"

"Not now. Stay silent," he commands.

The pursuer catches up—one of the family enforcers.

"Thank you for the help, and apologies for the inconvenience," the tall woman says, bending down to lift the man over her shoulders as if he barely weighs anything.

"It's nothing," he replies. "Sending him to work?"

"Affirmative, though I hope you didn't go too hard on him."

"Rest assured. He should be fine by the time you get him there."

A sleek black car rolls up beside her. Effortlessly, she throws him into the back seat. Every attempt to thrash or break free is met with the unyielding strength of the loyal family enforcer. Soon, the rumble of the car and the distant chatter of passersby fade, leaving only the controlled stillness between Atsunori and Avery.

With a nod, he signals she can speak again.

"W-why…?" Avery mutters, eyes pleading.

"That guy doesn't deserve your pity. He's trash."

"Is he though? What makes you so certain? Because to me at least, it seemed like the bad guy here was… was…" She bites her tongue—literally, and intentionally.

Then, with a sharper look, she says: "He must've done something bad, then."

"Most certainly. I don't know the details, but scum like him are usually either hopeless debtors or petty criminals who've caused a lot of trouble."

"And your friend is taking him to the police, I assume."

"No. We're not going to let him keep leeching of the city's prosperity. He's going to be put to work."

"Wait, really? That sounds a bit… suspiciously good."

"It's not. His job will be miserable and underpaid, but he brought this upon himself. However, if he finally starts working diligently for once in his life, some hope remains for him to rejoin respectable society members."

"So, like, only bad people are put to that work, right? No mistakes, right?"

"The family draws a strict line between innocent, productive citizens and pests like him."

"Okay, yeah, that's fair, I can agree with it, yeah." Eyes still frowning, Avery paints a smile on her face.

If it keeps her from making a fuss, then I'm glad she's putting on another mask this time.