Onigiri

It was about time he came. Sora was already home, waiting impatiently, not being able to sit still in one place, she was walking from one side of her apartment to the other. Eventually, she stopped to look at herself in the mirror. Her hair was still as long as it was yesterday, but now bright red, which suited her face. She turned around assessing her haircut, and new layers appeared, hair straightened. Then, Sora took out and put on a mascara, and smeared some orange blush on her cheeks and nose, thinking she looked pretty good. She also took some time to prepare onigiri with tuna for the evening, as there was some rice she could use from yesterday. Looking at her watch, playing on her phone, and scrolling the feed she then tried to cut the rest of the time before Yoshio's arrival.

As soon as she heard the bell she jumped up and ran towards the door, disregarding the idea that she should wait a bit before slamming the door open, for appearances. Yoshio was in front of it, standing and looking very calm, with a divine face, like that of a deity or a monk.

I hope he is not a monk, please, she thought.

While opening the door she prepared for his facial expression to shift when he noticed her hair. However, he did not change his expression in the slightest. Nodding politely, he entered the apartment. Sora's face, however, could never hide her fillings, so she stood there making an ugly face of immeasurable disappointment, forgetting to greet him.

"Khm, " she heard him clear his throat, immediately snapping out of it, "Are you ok, your face looks troubled." While talking he did not show any emotions, which made her pissed.

"Ha-ha, sorry, ate a bad fruit right before you came in, Adashi-san, please come in, don't mind me!" She bowed. It took all her patience to say that in the politest way possible. She was trying so hard not to snap at this moment.

"Sure, hope it is better now...?" He seemed unconvinced, taking his shoes off. He looked at her briefly and went to sit on the chair in the kitchen. Tea was already prepared, hot. She ran and poured him a cup. He nodded in thanks.

"Well, ha-ha, " she felt nervous all of a sudden, "I was going to show you the notes!" She jumped and ran off to the bed, taking out a box. As she was doing that, Yoshio looked at her, noting that she had changed her hair, hoping that it was not to impress him, as it was obviously pointless to try that. This time he was here to investigate, so he was going to do just that. First, he needed to observe this weird aura, since it was so weirdly alluring and inviting. He wondered if it had to do with the amount of men following her all the time. Then, there were the notes to investigate.

She came back holding the box, putting it in front of him.

"There are a few now, it has been appearing for some time. However, they were all about only several occurrences, you can take a look".

He nodded in agreement, silently took the box, opening it, smelling a distinct smell seeping out of it.

"Freaking foxes!" He mumbled, Sora did not hear it correctly, looking curiously at him.

"What?"

"Nothing, do not mind me," he did not look at her, taking out the notes, and spreading them on the table.

The notes were:

"Do not go to the place you wanted to go today, as later you will be followed by a man"

"Do not trust men"

"Do not talk to the man wearing a leather jacket, as he intends bad things"

"Maybe take some self-defense?"

The last one was clearly yesterday's one and said:

"Today you might be raped, if you are not saved, you should run if you are followed"

Yoshio huffed to himself, thinking freaking fox, who do they think they are? leaving stuff with no clear details would surely help to save a person, who was followed by creeps all her life. Why didn't they just approach her and tell her clearly? Maybe he is a man too, so he decided to be like this? Why help, if there is no use for it?

"What do you think?" Sora looked curious, sitting on the other side of the table, she managed not to disturb Yoshio while he was looking, reading, and smelling the notes.

"Well," he looked at her face for the first time, feeling something, "I will find the guy, I think they meant well, maybe it is someone with the power to see the future. They will not bother you anymore, so you should stop worrying. I will take them with me, and you should indeed be very careful around men," as he was collecting the notes back to the box, he continued, "Uh yes, tell me more about the men, when did they start showing this active interest in you?"

"Uh, well, isn't it the same for all women?"

He looked up at her, clearly wondering if she was joking, but she was not, so he felt a bit of compassion, saying a bit more warmly, "Well, it is like this for many women, yes, but you have an aura I can see, and I think other men feel it. I am not sure what it's about, but it could be the one responsible for, well, increased attention towards you."

"What? Aura you say, sounds stupid as hell lol." She started laughing only to notice how serious the other person was, trying to get serious too. "Are you for real? I would have never believed that such a thing exists. I mean yes, I was approached by men for as long as I can remember, even as a kid, my mom always told me to be wary of you know, MEN. It was somewhat disgusting since I was just a kid, but then as a teenager, I looked very good too. I mean," she blushed," I think so."

Yoshio was looking at her, listening attentively. He felt how his intent to kill was starting to rise inside of him, he was that furious at all those men. He wanted to teleport and kill them in the most violent ways possible. He knew, however, that that was the past he could not change. This wish to protect her younger self was impossible to fulfill. He was unsure as to why he felt so strongly though. He has met many women before, with similar stories, but he never lost his composure over them. The images of dead perverts flooded his mind, making him smile viciously in anticipation. While analyzing his emotions, he missed some of Sora's monologue, since she did not stop talking all this time. Briefly recalling their previous conversations he had assumed he did not miss much, calmly returning his attention to the conversation.

"...so yes, I think it has been a while, and also, he was very insistent on sleeping with me. But I think he lost me after I moved here. I hope he does not find me."

"Wait," Yoshio did miss something of importance, cursing inside, he had to ask again, "Can you repeat the beginning of the story about this guy?"

"Sure," she did not see any issues with his question, "He started following me on Insta, and messaging me, and then somehow found out where I live, I assume he had run to a cafe I have posted a story from, and then followed me home. He then started, you know, coming to my door, broke in once, and stole some clothes, just regular things. I was very terrified, all my friends went to a police station with me, so they had to deal with the guy. But he was released shortly after I think. I think he knows where I work, but is too afraid to come there, as there are always people around me. However, I moved out at that point, blocked him, and all the people I did not know personally, closed my account to being private. Thus, he was not able to reach me anymore. So when these notes appeared I was afraid it was him, however, it seems that it was someone who was concerned, as you said. So I feel a bit relieved."

Yoshio looked mad, took a moment to think, and then calmly asked, "Can I ask you about his name and all that?"

"Sure. I mean, how can you forget the creeps name..." She seemed sad, looking down at her fingers, "It was very unusual too - Watanabe Noroi," she paused, "Or maybe it just seemed unusual to me, I don't know."

They sat in silence, and then she shrugged, looking at Yoshio, smiling slightly.

"I think that's all, Adashi-san, please ask any other questions you have. Usually, my friends take me home after any activities we do together, or even after work. I think I am fortunate enough. However, sometimes it is inevitable I have to go somewhere alone, right? So that's usually when something stupid happens. But I think after yesterday they will not let me out of their sight ha-ha."

She laughed, her eyes clearly showing her true melancholy feelings. Yoshio's face did not change.

"Ok, that's good to hear you have friends who can protect you, after all, I think your aura will be mixed up with theirs and will not be as apparent, as it is when you are alone. I will investigate, and let you know if I know more about how it can be dealt with." He stood up, and she automatically followed. "I think I will go now, as I have asked all I need for now."

Sora felt disappointed, as it was way too fast, and she did not get to ask any questions that were of interest to her.

"Wait, you promised to answer a question about you too!" She looked so pitiful at this moment, Yoshio felt startled, for some reason. "I mean, I was also rude yesterday, and did not get to apologise." She looked around as if searching for something. Her eyes lit up after she remembered something, she looked at him, "Do you, maybe want some onigiri with tuna?"

He hesitated a moment, her eyes were begging him to stay. He looked away, giving up, and sitting down.

"Ok, I will have some, and I will tell you what you want to know, as agreed."

"Yay!" She was way too excited, Yoshio noticed and felt a twitch of satisfaction inside that he did not understand yet. He smiled politely, as she continued while taking the onigiri out of the fridge. "I am glad you agreed, you know, I was not ready to part ways after such a negative topic. We can have way more exciting topics to discuss, for example, you!" She smiled so happily, turning her head towards him, his mouth opened a bit from seeing her like this.

As the onigiri appeared in front of him, she put a new water kettle on the gas. Yoshio was thinking about the amount of information he should be revealing about himself, sensing that they were already involved in more than one random encounter on the street. She seemed to be pitiful, with her unfortunate male-attracting aura. He felt as if there was some reason he had to investigate it now. He looked up at her once again, she was already talking about some random things he did not quite pay attention to. But she looked so calm, and pretty, pouring him a new cup of tea, smiling at him. Her latest hair suited her well, today it looked well done. He did not notice how he smiled back at her, pleased. She became red, turned around, and ran further into the kitchen. He, however, did not grasp that reaction, patiently waiting for her to sit down again. As she calmed down a bit, she returned and moved her chair closer a bit, making herself more comfortable.

"So, Adashi-san, you did not answer yesterday, who are you exactly?" Her eyes lit up, full of expectations. He paused, contemplating still whether it was reasonable to be honest. After this moment he looked at her again, feeling as if it was ok if he was.

"I am a yokai, as you suggested, not a diety."

She nodded enthusiastically, urging him to elaborate. Her eyes looked so big, shining with anticipation. He cleared his throat.

"Well, I am a tengu, it is a type of yokai who..."

She jumped up, interrupting him shamelessly "You can fly!! You can, right? You are like a bird-type one! That's why your nose is so long!"

Yoshio was bright red after that last remarque, getting irritated. Noticing his expression, Sora instantly calmed herself, sat down, saying:

"Sorry, I got too excited, I did not even think about it yesterday, you can magic things in your hands, and you can teleport, and fight like a cool guy, and now you can fly, " she paused looking at him, he was still red, "Potentially..." She was trying to stop herself from spoiling it in case he could not fly and she was offending him right now, "I am sorry, I am being rude again, Adashi-san, please continue!"

Yoshio in the meantime was trying to calm down, as he was indeed deeply offended by her interruption and overall disrespect. He, however, felt like she was behaving like this yesterday, so it seemed that she was not intentionally rude, but just like this all the time. He looked at her again, squinting his eyes, she was making this pitiful face again. What is that even supposed to mean? His heart softened, however, and he said:

"Well, hm, if you were not interrupting..."

"Yes, yes of course, it's my fault..." she realized she interrupted again, his gaze instantly becoming cold, she nodded, clapping her hands in a pleading/apologetic gesture.

"I will continue, then..." he paused, looking at her as if waiting for an interruption. She made a hand movement showing that her mouth was closed, throwing away the invisible key. He looked at the cup in his hand, continuing slowly.

"I mean there is not much to tell, I can fly if I have my wings out, and I can teleport to some distance, and I can magic things, as you said. I am usually using magic for convenience, trying not to stand out too much."

Sora listened attentively, nodding continuously, which he noted to be adorable.

"I think that is all, do you have any other questions?"

She, still quiet, nodded yes.

"Ok, you may go on," he was growing warmer towards this type of behavior, as she was now complying.

"Yes, if Adashi-san permits..." her eyes squinted, in a coquette manner, Yoshio did not note it though. She continued, "Khm, em...Do you live alone?"

"No, " he did not see any issues with this question, not getting any hidden meaning behind it, answering casually, "I have a helper, he is kind of a pupil of mine." Not noting the satisfaction in her eyes, he took a sip of his tea.

"I see, that is good, I was worried you were living for a thousand years all alone, on a mountain somewhere. "

He almost laughed, as she was not so far off from the truth, as Makio happened to be around only for the last 300 years or so.

Before he chose to stay in Tokyo, he wandered by the country that now was considered Japan, for several hundreds of years by himself, fighting men, looking for someone he had no idea whom exactly he was looking for. After Makio started following him, he had to teach him how to behave, how to survive, and how to live in a world where yokai did not seem to be favored much. Then he realized it was much better to have a helper, and as skillful as this one was even more beneficial. He looked at Sora, contemplating whether he was in a mood to tell her more. She was trying her best to be patient, sitting silently. Satisfied with her behavior he decided that it would be good to reinforce it by telling more.

“Khm, so yes, he is, well, skilled. He will help me with the investigation, so maybe next time you will see him. His name is Okamura Makio , he will try not to frighten you when he comes. Also, when he introduces himself just call him by his name, please.”

“Oh,” he noticed she looked a bit down, “You are not going to come anymore?” She looked at him, her eyes full of sorrow. His heart ached at this sight, which irritated him. He shook his hand as if to get rid of some feeling.

“Well,” he took a moment to think how to reply in the best way possible, “why would I come, if there is no need for us to see each other? He can do as good of a job as me anyway.”

Sora looked very disappointed, not even trying to hide her feelings. Yoshio felt a bit of discomfort, not revealing anything to her though.

“Well, Adashi-san, you said yourself that I am in danger due to this aura, that you yourself are unsure of what it is. Maybe I am in grave danger, and you are just letting it go?”

This is where her patience was lost, she could not bear to miss this opportunity to see him again. She felt if she did, her shojo fantasy would end forever. She was not yet sure what intrigued her more – his origin story, his look, or that he was the first man she actually felt genuine interest in. She also was not yet sure whether it was due to the fact that he was a yokai, and it was tempting to have that power to herself. Especially, if that type of power falls for you, willing to do anything. As those malicious thoughts were running through her head, she tried her hardest to have a somewhat detached demeanor. It was not really working though.

Yoshio was looking at her thinking about some things too. She was making a good point, given that her aura was still a mystery. It was obviously related to her being chased by men all the time. She did mention that she had friends, who were able to protect her though, but could they be trusted? It seemed that he was also trying to convince himself that it was worth to try and protect her. The argument seemed fine to him, so he did not contemplate any longer, making a decision – he would come to protect her. Wasn’t that his job kind of? He was looking for perverts after all, and she was indeed the magnet who can bring him the one he was searching for.

“Ok, I think you have a point, I will return to walk you home from work, and accompany you when it is needed if you are suggesting that you are in need of protection…”

“Yes! Yes, of course! I sense I am in grave danger!” She clearly was exaggerating at this point, not able to hide her excitement over how easy it was to persuade him to come again. Which meant she had more time to get to know this yokai. “I am so glad I will be protected by such a brave warrior like you!”

Flattery was not something Yoshio encountered much in his life, and even this cheap trick pleased him immensely. He smiled unconsciously, which made Sora blush again. He stood up.

“I will take my leave for now, we need to get to the fox, and the creep... I will look myself for him. I will let you know, if and when we have any useful information. Otherwise, I can come and meet you at your workplace whenever you say?”

“Sure, sounds great!” She also stood up, giving him space to leave the table.” Wait, do you have a phone?”

“Em, well, yes, I do, but I am not very good with it. So usually I forget it at home, and Makio is the one handling those things.”

“Do you have it now?”

Yoshio looked in his pocket, taking a flip phone out, and giving it to her. Sora took it from his hands, full of enthusiasm.

“I will put my phone number in, so you can call me if you need to. Please send me a message, so I can have your number too.”

“Um, ok, I guess.” He hesitated, eventually asking, “How do I do that?”

She laughed, opening his phone and typing her number in. There were only two numbers in his phone – one Makio’s and the other one without the name. Now there were three. Still smiling she moved closer to him, almost touching his shoulder, which he tried to evade. She started explaining how to write a message, tapping on the buttons. He looked intensely, confused. She typed “hello”, and clicked "send", looking up at him. Her name was "Princess Sora", she figured he would not know how to change it anyway, and seeing her name like this would probably embarrass him. Internally Sora was laughing her ass off.

“Did you get it, Adashi-san?”

“I am not sure. But I always can ask Maki, I guess…”

“Or you can ask me, right?” Her smile was wide, and so pretty. She knew what she was doing, trying her best to make her charming smile imprint in his mind. He looked away from it, his ears becoming slightly red.

"Khm, well, I have to go now, we have some things to work on. I will see you soon then." He hid the phone somewhere in his sleeve, Sora curiously followed this move with her eyes.

«Wait! Are you a monk?»

He paused, «What?»

«I was just…wondering.» She seemed hesitant, already regretting she asked.

«Khm, well, no, I am not. I do live in a temple though.»

«Uh, great, Adashi-san! That all I wanted to know! I will be waiting!" She smiled happily, then clapped her hands in excitement, and waived goodbye, while Yoshio looking perplexed, nodded and disappeared.

The moment he was not there, Sora seemed sad, looking absent-mindedly at the now-empty space in front of her. The situation seemed to be the same as yesterday. It was only nine o'clock, still too early to sleep, but too late to go out alone. She decided to text Mel, not revealing to her the yokai part. She would just say that Yoshio is good at investigating.