Ripples of Change
Last week's Saturday, when I treated Aoba's mother, and Sunday, when I properly turned Hiru into a shikigami—now it was Wednesday after that. Things around me had shifted just a bit.
First off, the intensity of training at the dojo had ramped up dramatically. It felt like they'd truly marked me as the heir now; not just swordwork, but they were shoving fist strikes, kicks, other karate techniques, plus throwing knives and iron wires at me. Of course, it wasn't just my body taking the beating—I'd also figured out why Manatsu-ryu used spiritual energy and why it had so few suitable practitioners.
The suspiciously repetitive process of drawing and sheathing weapons like the napping blade required sucking the spiritual energy back out of them to avoid running dry. That was the tricky part, but luckily, thanks to my eyes that could see spiritual energy and souls clearly, I started restoring and even modifying them bit by bit.
Second change: Aoba's outfits and behavior had shifted a little. Unlike before, when it was always training clothes or dojo uniforms, now she was sporting cute decorations, hairpins, and even miniskirts. If I had to guess, they'd decided to hand the heir position to me, loosening up all the restrictions on her life.
Finally, third: I started joint combat drills with Hiru to sync our breathing. Basically, since I could launch my intent at her, she moved as I wanted, but with a massive scythe as her weapon—and her tendency to go wild when she got excited—we had to keep each other on a short leash.
"Oppa. What're you thinking about?"
"Nah, just how a lot's happened in the past few days."
"Heh."
And as a result of all these changes, whenever I headed to the dojo, Aoba would come out with me and see me all the way home. Today too, she'd insisted on walking me to my front door, so we were strolling the evening streets together. Maybe because summer was creeping in, the days were getting longer— it was evening, but the sun hadn't dipped below the horizon yet.
How nice it would be if every day was this peaceful.
"Hey, oppa, you see that over there?"
"Huh?"
In the direction Aoba pointed was a black sedan parked at a slightly awkward angle. That area was the opposite way from Shinji Tower, out in the suburbs where the big mansions of the rich folks were. Among the people I'd met so far, Ichinose lived there, and among ghosts, Fujiwara—who was actually alive but astral-projected—her family home was in that direction too.
And right then, an event from the original story flashed through my mind.
"Aoba. Hold up a sec."
"I'm coming too!"
Hiru was back at home, so she wasn't here. But if that was what I thought it was, intervening was definitely the right call. I didn't want Aoba, who lacked spiritual abilities, getting tangled up if possible, but she was right beside me, and for a straight-up fistfight, she was stronger than me—and the opponents were likely physical types that brute force would work on.
We sprinted over as fast as we could and arrived to find three guys in suits and sunglasses trying to stuff Ichinose into the car. I vaulted over the sedan, landing a kick to the tallest one's face. Aoba hammered another in the solar plexus with her fist, making him double over, then smashed his occiput with her elbow and kneed his temple. The last one, trying to bolt, got grabbed by the collar, flung, and groin-kicked.
"...Huh?"
"Hey, Ichinose-senpai."
"Oppa started it and took 'em all down, but you okay?"
"Probably."
Ichinose stared at us blankly, then plopped down on the spot in relief. No terrified expression, so she wasn't wary of us—and just as I'd suspected, it was internal enemies from her own faction.
Good thing my original-knowledge play had hit the mark for once.
"Thanks anyway. I was a bit startled."
"Seemed urgent, so I jumped in without asking."
"I'll make sure nothing comes back on you two. Especially the lady."
"Manatsu Aoba."
"Ah, from Manatsu Dojo. Nice to meet you. I'm Ichinose Aris."
Aoba bowed deeply at the name Ichinose, flustered. Aris casually extended a hand for a shake. Aoba looked a bit awkward but took it, and Aris sighed, glancing at me.
"You two got plans after this?"
"Nah. If anything, we're heading home."
"Then, Manatsu-san, mind if I borrow Tsukino-kun for a bit?"
"...Sure. See you tomorrow, oppa!"
Aoba knew I had spiritual powers now, and figuring there was a reason to exclude her, she backed off cleanly. She'd been forcing the issue and acting like it was a done deal before, but with her mom's condition improving daily, she had some breathing room and wasn't as aggressively clingy anymore.
Thank goodness. If it'd kept up, even I would've cracked.
"Lively girl. That's your type?"
"Someone who likes me is good."
"Honest, but no class. Any reason you were passing by here today?"
"Nope. Just finishing up training at Manatsu Dojo and heading home."
"I see. Guess I'm lucky all around, then."
Aris rummaged through the pockets of the mid-height guy among the three sprawled by the sedan, pulled out something like a city phone, punched in numbers, made a call, said something, and hung up. Leaning against the wall after, she tidied her slightly mussed bangs.
"Know what this is?"
"Heard it's a phone from England."
"What. You knew. No fun."
City phones got official spec approval first in England in 1989. Basically wireless terminals optimized for calling back after pager alerts—early cell phones, really. Not sure if they worked in Japan yet, but given how many people were after Aris, she probably had a private base station near her mansion, using it like a walkie-talkie.
And sure enough, another sedan pulled up—similar to the first but with better options. The back door opened.
"Hop in."
"Where to?"
"My place first. Don't worry—I'll have you dropped off at your door when we're done."
Refusing here probably wouldn't end well, so I meekly slid in beside Aris. Maybe the near-kidnapping stress, but bathed in the sunset's red glow, she started nodding off—cuter than her usual haughty vibe, fitting her age. Sensing my gaze, she snapped her eyes open, met mine, then flicked her gaze out the window.
"Tsukino-kun."
"Yeah."
"How much do you know about Ichinose? Stuff from Hanasaki, maybe."
"Not much."
"I see. Check this out."
She stuck her index finger in her mouth and stretched her lips sideways. Prominently longer canines than a normal person's caught my eye.
"Ta-da. Vampire."
"Uh-huh. Got it."
"Ugh, seriously. You're no fun to scare."
"I've had plenty of shocks since moving here."
She pouted a little but didn't press, closing her eyes again. Maybe embarrassed about the dozing earlier, she crossed her arms and leaned deep into the seat, falling asleep proper.
Compared to cars from my past life, it was an old model, but luxury was luxury—no shaking, smooth ride straight to the Ichinose mansion.
Huge. The Manatsu place was mansion-worthy, but this? It could've passed for a castle. Purple roof, five stories high, double-digit rooms per floor easy. I was overwhelmed.
More intimidating than her being a vampire was the fact a mega-rich heiress lived next door.
"You react to this, huh."
"Never imagined it'd be this big..."
"Eh, not many actual workers. The place stays clean, but I'm basically the only resident."
As she said, the vast mansion felt devoid of life. Assuming servants included vampires and other non-humans, they handled it with their strength alone.
Aris beckoned me in, and I followed her lead inside. The doors opened, and greeting us was none other than a maid. The one with a name, the heroine one: robot maid Retishia.
She was probably in her arc with Sendo by now. She bowed to us.
"Welcome home, miss. And Tsukino-san."
"...Hey."
"Good, Tsukino-kun. Notice anything special?"
"She's not a living being."
"As expected. Excellent."
Aris smiled with her eyes, while Retishia—faint soul-echo only—quietly led us deeper into the mansion. A chill hung in the air, laced with loneliness.