Liability (2)

Mr Tanaka, our client, entered my office nervously behind Kyoko, who was carrying the dreaded folder in her hand. The information on the case is in there.

No staffing problem with Arahabaki greedily grabbing the spare cases to feed his momonofu. Not a high level assassination. Just another troublesome case is awaiting my attention.

The Screening Department had red flagged it for my attention and refused to accept it. For some reason, Mr Tanaka was unable to accept the quoted time for my consideration. One hour of his oxygen wasting time to find out his reasons. 

I stood up and nod to Mr Tanaka's stiff bow.

As he got up, I noticed the frown on his weary face. His wrinkles were more pronounced due to the furrowing of his eyebrows. Black circles stood out under his eyes. He did not look like he slept or taken care of himself.

"Mr Tanaka, would you like coffee, tea or water?" Kyoko asked as she invited him to take a sit in front of my desk. 

"Just water will do." He replied. "Miss Shinde, you have read the case?"

I nodded and gestured for Kyoko to close the door. Nothing must escape this office. Especially when I don't want her around to spread information to the male kitsune. She may have kept her rendezvous with Daija's student, Shintaro, under wraps. She does not know that I monitor her dalliances via trusted yōkai sources.

"Mr Tanaka, the problem doesn't lie with the female target. The male target is a problem." I opened the file, feigning great interest. 

We don't go against ghost or yōkai for humans. This case only has consideration because of unusual circumstances. Furthermore, Mr Tanaka is a long term client.

Most of my clients are not dark magic practitioners but charlatans, feeding off the gullible and superstitious wealthy mature-aged housewives. As long as the money flowed my way and there is no threat to me, human affairs are none of my business. 

Pity, the girl looked young, in her mid-20s. Most of the time, the targets are above 35 years old. Perhaps a love squabble with her sugar daddy. Humans are amusing. 

"I don't understand. The order is substantial," Mr Tanaka argued. "10 million yen."

Time to test the waters. That sullen man in his black suit with the mild astringent cigarette smell had the stench of desperation. Personal feelings appear invested in these two human creatures. 

"Tell me what you know about the male target? And leave nothing out." I took out the photograph of a blonde hair, green eyed man from the folder. 

"He works as an English teacher at a cram school. He scammed money…" Mr Tanaka trailed off. 

That's the problem. The aura around this man in the photograph isn't from over exposure of the camera. It is a tell tale signature of even our kind when we assume material form. Foreign yōkai are not exempt from producing these auras on photographs.

This English teacher, whom he wanted murdered, is not the usual Japanese but a foreigner. Not human, but foreign yōkai - ones they called demons. Most, if not all, Japanese methods of exorcism do not work on them.

Hence, the Screening Department was unsure and passed the decision onto me. 

Under the recent restructuring, the Screening Department, now Shinde Inc's gatekeeper, has to undergo a two level screening procedure. All targets in the requests have a first screen to check if they are humans or yōkai before investigating their background and forwarding it to the Request department for the third screening and then assignment.

This case didn't even get past the first screen. 

"Via her? I am sensing a personal vendetta here."

"It's for a friend."

I do not appreciate a blatant lie. 

"Mr Tanaka, how long have you been practicing… jujutsu, onmyodo, or whatever you practice?"

Jujutsu and onmyodo are the two most common forms of Japanese magic on the dark side. Jujutsu means curse. 

Some curses require a simple utterance based on kotodama - where magic is released from each word. 

Other curses came with questionable rituals, like hammering nails into a shrine tree and making effigies to clobber or stick things in. 

Onmyodo is deadlier. The onmyodo practitioner is an onmyoji, like Kureha's son. They used the five basic elements - Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, and the Void. 

The practice is based on Chinese magic which was imported along with the immigrant gods. As with everything imported, the Japanese humans adapted even onmyodo to their setting.

More of an all rounder type of Japanese magic. Deadlier because they can use onmyodo for exorcism, like sealing, or summoning yōkai. 

"Two decades of jujutsu."

If only he had followed onmyodo, it would make my life so much easier. Not because of its exorcism powers - jujutsu can't function in exorcism.

Mr Tanaka probably doesn't have the ability of a special sight to spot a common yōkai, unlike some of our more successful clients.  More powerful yōkai, like us, still can deceive the onmyoji with our human forms. 

"Have you noticed any unusual about him?"

"Is he a… ghost?"

Deep within my inner yōkai self, I would dearly love to tear this stupid man into pieces. Ghosts don't come out in public during daylight. 

I sighed. "Foreigner. Do you know how much trouble you can get into if a foreigner is killed? Especially if he is American?"

The only comfort is that this silly moron can't tell the difference between human and yōkai. Less he knows, the better.

"I KNEW IT," Mr Tanaka blurted out as he jumped up from his chair in excitement. "HOW MUCH DO YOU WANT?"

"I can give you a discount but it won't be cheap to deal with a foreigner ." I raised my eyebrow at him. 

****

"I have an unusual case for you… if you are interested." I tossed Arahabaki the file as he looked up from his iPhone. For some reason, he enjoyed lounging on benches in Shiba park, not far from my office. Some children were busy playing catch with their mothers, watching like a hawk over their brood while gossiping. 

The artificial landscape with the fake gorge and waterfall surrounded by the trees may be the reason for his presence in this concrete and steel jungle of Tokyo. Us serpents like our water, regardless of being a god or a yōkai. The environment itself is cooling and moist with the shade of the trees.

Better Arahabaki than risking the rest of my yōkai staff. I didn't know how much power this foreign yōkai had. A god would be immensely useful in this case. 

"Heh foreign yōkai. Oh, this will be interesting," he said as he studied the photograph.