Chapter 8. Paper and tea

The master led to the back of the mansion, which had plenty of space. The flowers of all seasons bloomed and even at the very corner was a little lake with an arched bridge. 

"What will be my task for today?" Hatsuki asked, the wind fluttering her red tassel earrings as well as the one, the master had newly bought her. 

"Sort out the potential souls for reincarnation and later tell me the specific reason why. It will improve your ability to think impartially" The master said while stepping into the air. Suddenly, a warm orange glow cast on the air and a steep ladder formed. 

The ladder reached an airship with a large wooden base. Although the ladder seemed like it was made of glass, Hatsuki took a step with the tip of her toes, her palms slightly sweaty. Once it felt right, she lowered her lips while taking another step, her hands slightly pinching the hem of the skirt to lift them. 

The master had long gotten to the ship and although Hatsuki made no complaints, her eyes were squinched with each step finally reaching the inside of the ship. The moment she stepped on the wooden floor, the ladder vanished into the air, leaving specs of orange clouds of dust. 

The base was dark with barely any light from the above. Her feet hit the little pots on the floor while on the way to another inclined ladder which led to the deck of the ship. 'Ah,' She winched getting her finger flesh torn by the nail but continued to climb up. 

From the deck, Yuki had his eyes on the little human secretary he had. The annoyance in her was evident, yet even so she had her flare in the way she did things. 

"Master, what kind... of ... boat is this?" She finally got to the deck and asked immediately while deeply breathing. 

"It's an airship" He replied and took a few steps towards the railing from where the entire view of the town below them could be seen. 

Hatsuki too followed his lead and was in awe. The view was clear and stable, unlike the lantern ride from the day before. 'Stingy' She wished to click her tongue but withheld herself. It was another world after all. 

A world where she had no idea of the social standings, the culture, the ruler and even the reason why she was there in the first place. 

"What's the social structure here," She wondered while still looking at the constantly changing scene. She swore that many followed the traditional Chinese traditions and yet, why did the master adapt to Japanese culture? 

But those questions remained unanswered. As they flew across within a few minutes, they arrived at Sky Manor. The ship landed inside the territory yet not a speck of dust flew out of place. The master had his sleeve slightly raised as he took a turn and headed to the exit. Hatsuki followed closely.

They walked past by the soaring sand and past the main entrance. For a workplace, the manor was almost too quiet. The grand hallway had no humans or spirits and although the decorations were cleaned, it was as though, the manor was a museum or maybe even an untouchable tribute. 

At last, the master's steps came to a halt. In front of the "Blessings of the Ocean" the master knocked exactly two times, then entered while Hatsuki cluelessly tried to understand his actions. 

The room was grandiose. There were two huge bookshelves and in between was a grand picture of the blue dragon in its mighty form. The scales dimly shined, and the eyes of the dragon stared at the fierce yet fragile young woman who was in-between its form. 

The master avoided that seat and rather sat at the seat next to the one at the centre. The picture behind the master was that of a woman who had her face covered with a red umbrella. She wore a kimono similar to that of a mikan, standing out amongst the pale white snow hovering over her like a thick winter blanket. 

"Have a seat over there. The list of the souls is kept on your desk. Submit your answer to be before the lunch break." The master commanded. 

Unsure, she gave a nod but twirled around to search for her desk. There was an empty desk beside the main desk which had the picture of two stone cat deities which had a red scarf around them. Their little paws were kept in prayer position. 

'Is that the one?' she was doubtful but still, took steps towards it. On the table was a thick stack of handmade papers

Hatsuki pulled the chair and sat on the soft cushion. Pulling out the first paper she started to read. The very page had a name written in calligraphy. LeiMin Wang. 

It was a sort of memoir of a young woman at the beginning of the year 1938. 

By the time she had read passed the first six papers, Hatsuki's eyes were soiled with tears, papers barely even scrunched as though no one had ever touched them and droplets of water on the worktable. 

'Who am I to advocate for her to even get reincarnated?' she probed. 

As the lunch hour approached, the master raised his head from his position and called "Are you done with the list?" 

".... Yes" Hatsuki spoke in a low volume and stood from her seat. Her hands were bare, and she stood alone in front of the arbitrary. 

"Master before I state the list, may I ask, what are the conditions to be reincarnated? And if they don't get qualified what will happen to them?" her lower lip quivered while her hands clasped. The air was still, and Yuki had his indifferent eyes staring at Hatsuki. 

"There are no conditions to get rebirth. It's the karma that they had done that determines it and you must state whether it's good karma or bad. As per the decision, some may get rebirth while some may get transmigrated to other realms where they atone for their sins" Yuki replied. His voice was like the echoes in the caves. Calm yet full of mysteries. 

"What if that soul doesn't want to get reincarnated?" Hatsuki's voice pierced through the unintended silence which was eating away her heart. It was a stupid question to ask and yet, reading the life journey of that woman, she couldn't bring herself to make a decision that could torment the soul just like the life she had lived. Yet there was no answer from the master. 

"Then…I verdict that the soul shall remain in this realm and will not get rebirth nor reincarnation. She should atone for her sins of not letting off the past" Hatsuki answered, letting out the words as though a nail had been removed from her skin. 

Her decision made Yuki confounded. He adjusted himself and carefully read her expression. She was unsure of her harsh decision and while many of the souls may get stuck in those realms forever, it brought a profound smile on his lips. 

"Your decision will be applied for the next session of souls then. You may go now" Yuki replied and before Hatsuki could even be relieved, golden smoke swirled around her and in the blink of an eye, she was in front of an unknown tea house. 

"What the HECK?"