Self Validation (5)

"Funny how you would help a human." Arahabaki cracked his knuckles while we walked down the bustling and colorful shopping area of Shinjuku. "Look at all of them, they remind me of sheep."

Bright neon lights flashed Isetan's brand as we made our way past a large glitzy looking Louis Vuitton while across the street, Burberry's enormous television screen flashed the latest runway fashions.

Even in the Covid-19 pandemic, I could see customers entering the doors of luxury boutiques and exiting with huge signature paper bags blaring their brand name. Those individuals were either from the top five percent of Tokyo's elite wealthy, or the middle class, who splurged on to keep up appearances while maxing their credit cards out.

The elite wealthy, came rain or shine, were almost never affected by economic downtowns. They had plenty of assets to milk money off while the worker bees droned around, making them richer. 

I could see the ghosts and yōkai tailing them for nefarious reasons beyond me. Like everywhere from Bangkok to Tokyo, the rich had more tagging along with them than the ordinary people. A price to pay because of how most made their money. The uncommon rich were the ones without a yōkai.

"Same reason you don't want to help that human. I guess you don't want to interfere with a god's business," I continued walking towards Saki. 

"Let sleeping dogs lie. You only understand your yōkai world. Not ours, which is far more complex than just a power hierarchy," Arahabaki winked at a few young ladies who giggled at his audacity. 

"Besides being Isekai-ed, cannot be performed by most gods in Takamagahara and certainly not by me," Arahabaki continued as we weaved around the mix of young people and office workers. "Powerful celestial deities which can transverse the universe easily transmigrate souls here. They are more powerful than all of us. Only a few can do it in Takamagahara like your patron, Tsukuyomi, and Amatsu-Mikaboshi." 

"Tsukuyomi barely even speaks," I pointed out. "Isn't he just a moon god? And Amatsu-mikaboshi - isn't he vanquished? "

"Right. Moon god only. Think harder. He is the god of the celestial nights. Is the universe bathing in the glow of Amaterasu's son? Look at NASA's photos from the Hubble telescope. The universe is bathing in a permanent night," Arahabaki said.

"Then what's the use of Amatsu-Mikaboshi?"

Amatsu-Mikaboshi was known as the god of all stars and, primordial chaos itself. His background is a mystery. Even gods of former human origin would hesitate and veer away from discussing details about him. 

"He is on another level of his own, even more powerful than Tsukuyomi," Arahabaki said. "And yes, he can transmigrate humans too, except he doesn't seem to appear much nowadays. Only Ame-no-kagaseo appears on his behalf."

For centuries, Ame-no-kagaseo was suspected to be Amatsu-Mikaboshi himself. I was not aware of him being Amatsu-Mikaboshi's representative until Arahabaki told me. Well, there's something new to learn about the gods every day. Perhaps the humans were right, there are too many, even in Japan, to keep track of. Even if I was a few thousand years old. 

"So do they have anything to do with the isekai-ed humans?" I asked him in curiosity. 

"Your staff isekai-ed one before by accident in Hong Kong early this year," a wry grin was growing on Arahabaki's face as he paused as though he wanted to savor my uneasy state. "Deity of Calamity told me."

He knew something, which I didn't, about the damn unwanted case which Death was forced into picking up in Hong Kong. Arahabaki wouldn't let loose unless he wanted to put me in a spot. 

"The woman who died… "I recalled the chaotic scene of the beautifully wrecked Lamborghini and a few humans there who were whispering how the dead woman was some sort of doctor while I was busy with Death about the unwanted case.

"Well, you have nothing to worry about." Arahabaki shrugged. "That is actually arranged by powers above us. You and the yōkai are a tool for the gods. Like every single human here. Chess pieces to be moved around by unseen hands."

"Talk about yourself," I fumed. "Aren't you a chess player since you are a god too?"

"Never denied it," he nudged me and gestured his head towards the lonely back of a woman. "Hello there, isn't it Saki? Where's the Tengu lover boy? And… there are a few on her now."

"How did Kanamura even meet her?" He looked at me as I watched the five malignant ghosts on her. "Those are ghosts on her. They turn off humans which don't even see them. A yōkai with sight would not even touch her."

"How the hell would I know? Do I look like I am best friends with Kanamura," I replied.

Sasori, Kanamura's mother, must have known about those five ghosts or she wouldn't have suggested that method of getting rid of her. I hated doing business with the Tengu and their kin at times. 

"Sending her to Kakuriyo will be a death sentence and no escape," Arahabaki chuckled. "No godly protection."

"There was never a human escape from Kakuriyo," I said as we continued following her from afar. 

"There are. They escape by becoming yōkai. She doesn't stand a chance. Her soul will be shredded by the five once in Kakuriyo. Man, she is too young to get these types on her. So I can only surmise that a lot had cursed her. Out of approximately every hundred, there will be one curse which generates piggybacked ghosts like these," he said. 

"Do we need to care about her life story when she is finished off?" I asked in sarcasm. 

Many of whom I finished had a ghost or a few on them. The apparition's existence was tied to protecting them or trying to seek vengeance. While my curiosity was how a transmigrated human had gotten to the level of casting a seduction spell on a Tengu, Saki is of no concern. 

Arahabaki hesitated as he motioned his head towards the dumb bitch, surrounded by a mysterious fog, invisible to the passing humans. "Eosphorus' vessel. Takamagahara has not gotten rid of that persistent vermin. Looks like we need bigger guns. And your client may need to pay a higher price."

Fuck.