More Dangerous than a Bear

“Mark this one down,” Midoriko said, placing an older model digital camera onto the floor in front of Xiǎomíng.

They had resumed the task they’d started together in England—sorting and cleansing the huge collection of cursed objects Enishi Ryouma had stolen from various places. But now, the number of confirmed cursed objects was in the single digits.

“What kind of curse would a camera have?” Xiǎomíng pondered outloud, looking through the viewfinder.

“That one was supposed to display the date of the subject’s death if their photo was taken with it,” Ryouma stated, popping out from nowhere. Xiǎomíng jumped and nearly threw the camera across the room. Ryouma put his hand on the boy’s head and fluffed up his hair. “Do you want to give it a try?”

“I’m good…” Xiǎomíng said, pushing the hand away.

“Don’t let him mess with you, Xiǎomíng. That’s just a regular camera now.” Midoriko placed an antique pocket watch into the pile of regular objects.

“Oh? This one isn’t cursed?” Ryouma asked, reaching for the watch. “I was sure it only displayed the exact time of day you were supposed to die…”

Midoriko snatched it back out of his hand and opened it up. She pointed to the drooping hands on the watch face. “No, you moron! It’s just broken!”

Ryouma continued to dig through the pile of allegedly-but-not-actually cursed objects with a disappointed expression. Midoriko sighed.

“Anyway, what do you want?”

“I’m going into town and thought I’d offer to pick up anything that you might need. Like, say…” He paused, then shot Midoriko an impish grin. “More underwear?”

Midoriko’s face instantly turned a deep shade of crimson as she jumped up off the floor.

“In that case, I’ll go with you!” she snapped back. When she tried to move past Ryouma through the door to retrieve her shoes, he stopped her.

“No.”

“W-why not?!”

Ryouma grabbed her chin and squeezed. “Because you might try to run off again, and I’m not done with you yet.”

Midoriko clenched her teeth and slapped his hand away. She hated the fact that he was right. But at the same time, she had no ID. She couldn’t do anything like getting a phone or a new bank card without one. And she couldn’t get a new one until she went home.

I’ll call his bluff.

“Who’s to say I won’t try to run from here if you leave me alone?” She didn’t even actually know where they were, or even how close the nearest town was, but maybe she could manipulate the information out of him this way.

“I think you’re smarter than to run blindly into the forest.” Ryouma crossed his arms, an amused smirk tugging at the corners of his lips.

“Oh? Why? Are there bears?” Depending on how he answered, that could narrow down the general geographic location of this house. If he says no, then maybe we’re in Kyushu…

“Hmm? Bears?” he repeated, leaning close. The corners of his eyes crinkled as he smiled. “Maybe? There could be!”

Damn it! She wondered why she even expected him to give a clear answer.

“Th-then what kind?” she asked. If he said brown bears, they were in Hokkaido. But if he said black bears, then that didn’t narrow things down as much.

“I don’t know…Does it matter? All of them can kill you.” He was clearly trying to hold back laughter now.

“It does matter! For example, in Shikoku, black bears are an endangered species! Compare that to somewhere like Tohoku, where the per-capita on bears might outmatch hu–”

“That’s enough from you,” he said, pressing a finger to her lips. Though he appeared greatly amused by her protestations, it had become clear to Midoriko since they met that he disliked arguing. “Make me a list of what you want or need.”

Midorkio took the notebook from Xiǎomíng, jotted down a few things she could think of, then tore out the page and handed it to Ryouma. He looked over the list for a moment before folding it up and pocketing it.

“Actually, Xiǎomíng, you come with me. I’ll need help carrying everything.”

Xiǎomíng, who had been trying to see if the old camera worked, tossed it aside and stood up. “Fine…”

As the two of them left the room, Midoriko bit down on her thumbnail.

“Tch…” He had outplayed her once again. She may have had his real identity, but Enishi Ryouma had Midoriko dancing in the palm of his hand as long as he kept her as an isolated prisoner.

***

Midoriko watched Good Girl play with the doll Ryouma had brought back from England for her. Despite the doll’s disheveled appearance, the girl’s eyes lit up when presented with it. She’d set it down next to herself at the kitchen table, pretending to feed the doll spoonfuls of food before eating it herself.

“Does the doll have a name?” Midoriko asked, admiring the cute scene unfolding.

“Midoriko-nee, what does ‘name’ mean?” Good Girl patted the doll’s messy golden curls.

“Um…Well, your name is what people call you…”

“Oh, like how my name is Good Girl?”

That’s not a name… But she understood the concept correctly. Midoriko smiled in defeat. “Yes. That’s right.”

“I see, I see…” Good Girl said, nodding as if finally understanding something fundamental.

“How about we give the doll a name, then?” Midoriko said encouragingly. Maybe if the doll had a nice name, Good Girl would want to be called by a proper name, too.

She stared at the doll for a moment, deep in thought, then smiled. Good Girl held out the doll to Midoriko. “I’ll call her Gross Girl because Xiǎomíng-nii always says ‘gross’ when he sees my doll!”

Midoriko put her head down on the table and sighed. It wasn’t what she had in mind, but then again, this child was far from normal.

From outside the kitchen, a door could be heard opening and closing as Ryouma and Xiǎomíng returned from their errand in town. After a moment, the two entered the kitchen carrying multiple paper and plastic bags.

“We’re back!” Ryouma said cheerfully, setting down bags.

“Welcome home, Papa! Xiǎomíng-nii!” Good Girl called as she manipulated the doll’s arm to wave as well. Xiǎomíng let out a grunt in response as he started unloading groceries.

“I have something for you, Good Girl,” Ryouma said, digging through a paper bag. The child looked on in anticipation as he produced a black teddy bear from the bag and set it on the table in front of her. Her eyes sparkled with delight as she held the teddy close.

“That’s a bear! I got you a black one!” Ryouma met Midoriko’s glare with a cheeky wink. He pulled out the shopping list from his pocket and waved it at her. “I got everything you asked for on this list.”

“Really?!” she said, standing up.

“Mhm! I got the clothes you requested for Good Girl, the cooking ingredients you asked for, and…” Once more, he dug through the bag that had the teddy and pulled out a small box. “This.”

It was a new phone. She had included it on her list but hadn’t expected him to actually get one.

Midoriko went to grab it, but Ryouma held it out of reach from her. Of course, nothing was ever easy with this man, was it?

“What’s the catch?” she asked with a resigned sigh.

“You continue helping me,” he said, dangling the phone in front of her.

“I’m already doing that.” She reached for the phone, but he pulled it away and held it over his head again.

“I’m talking about my curse.”

Midoriko stopped straining to reach the phone and lowered her arm. What was he trying to pull now?

“I thought you said my ability doesn't work on your curse,” she whispered.

“I never said it didn't work. I just said it couldn't cleanse the curse,” Ryouma shot back, lowering his voice.

Xiǎomíng put away the last of the perishable groceries and froze. Silence fell within the kitchen, interrupted only by the sounds of Good Girl’s humming as she cradled her new toy.

“Xiǎomíng. Good Girl. Go to your rooms,” Ryouma commanded, not taking his eyes off Midoriko.

It was almost robotic the way they both silently stopped what they were doing and left the kitchen. She couldn't tell if he'd uttered one of his magical will-altering commands or if the children were just very obedient to him.

Ryouma listened carefully for their footsteps to reach the second floor, then for their bedroom doors to close. Midoriko looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to explain himself.

She had this defiant streak that was so easy for him to see through. No matter how hard she stood her ground or acted tough, Ryouma noticed that when she was nervous, her lower lip seemed to quiver slightly. She was like an angry kitten–puffed up to look bigger, but ultimately frail and harmless. It was cute.

Ryouma pulled the glove off his right hand with his teeth. He grabbed her hand with his gloveless right hand and pressed the phone box firmly into her palm with his left. When she tried to accept the box and pull her hand away, Ryouma tightened his grip, sandwiching her hand and the box between his own.

She furrowed her brows in confusion. “What are–”

“When you grabbed my hand back in England, I realized that your touch does have an effect on this curse,” he explained. Her face was quickly turning very red. “Your touch—it’s like all the pain and numbness in my arm goes away. It’s a relief that I’ve never been able to get through any other means.”

“Excuse me?!” Midoriko tried backing away from Ryouma in an attempt to free her hand. But as she moved back, he moved forward, eventually backing her into a kitchen counter.

“All you have to do to help me now is touch me.”

She wouldn’t even make eye contact with him now—Midoriko stared firmly off to the side as her face flushed like sunburn.

“Y-you’re absolutely shameless,” she mumbled. “I won’t do it.”

“Heh…You’re acting like I’m asking for something inappropriate,” Ryouma teased. He took the phone box from her hand and placed it on the counter next to her. His cursed right hand slowly encircled her left hand. Then, with their palms pressed together, he laced his fingers through hers.

“I just want this,” he said, lifting their entwined hands up.

She looked at their linked hands for a moment before squeezing her eyes shut. Midoriko tried pushing him away with her free hand.

“I can’t go through life holding your hand constantly,” she whispered in a defiant hiss. “I have a job and school—I’m almost done with my doctorate program. Those things are important to me.”

“Once a day. That’s all I ask,” he said, squeezing her hand in his. Truthfully, he wanted so much more than that. If he could, he’d tie their hands together and drag her around with him.

The relief brought by her touch was indescribable to him. If the acupuncture performed by Xiǎomíng was like cutting off a limb, this was like regrowing it. Ryouma couldn’t let her slip away.

“For how long?” she asked, looking him in the eyes once more.

“An hour,” he blurted out.

“An hour?! No! Five minutes!” she yelled, trying to yank her hand away.

“Thirty minutes?”

“Tch…Seven!”

“Fifteen?”

“Ten!”

“Ten it is,” Ryouma said, letting go of her hand.

Midoriko grabbed the phone box and pushed him away. As she was storming out of the kitchen, Ryouma called out to her once more.

“I still have a few things to clean up before you go. Tell them you’ll be back by next Monday.”

She stopped in the doorway and looked back at him with questioning eyes.

Ryouma shook his head in mock sympathy. “You left in such a hurry for a distant relative’s funeral in Gunma. You were just completely devastated by the loss.”