“Y-yes…”
“Okay then.” Wiping his eyes, Julius gave Eric his biggest smile. “I forgive you.”
“Thank you.”
“You’ve seen my thing, after all.”
“Did you have to bring that up?!” Eric shouted, once again feeling sick. Somehow, he just knew this day was not going to be pleasant. Not at all.
***
After they finished preparing breakfast, he and Lilian woke up everybody who lived at The Yōkai Café. They weren’t very subtle about it either. Lilian had practically busted down everybody’s door as she informed them that breakfast was ready. He was a bit more polite than his mate.
“Excuse me,” he called, knocking on the door to one of the rooms. “I’m sorry to bother you, but we’ve made breakfast and would love it if you could join us.”
Some rustling from the other side caused Kevin to perk up. He stared at the door, which seemed oddly familiar for some reason. It wasn’t until the door opened and Hina stood before him wearing nothing but a loincloth that Kevin realized why.
“Good morning, my honey,” Hina purred.
“Uh…” Kevin needed a moment for his brain to reboot because, no matter how many times he’d seen it, the female body always did a number on his brain. “Breakfast is ready.”
“You made me breakfast?” Hina’s eyes seemed to sparkle.
“Um…” Kevin tried to tell Hina that, no, he hadn’t made her breakfast specifically. He also tried to tell her that it had been a joint effort between him and Lilian, and that they had made breakfast for everyone, not just her.
“Hold on for just a second while I go get dressed,” Hina said before he could speak, hurrying back inside of her room and closing the door behind her.
Kevin stood in the doorway for a moment, debating the merits of actually waiting for her. The decision was taken out of his hand when Lilian, having finished barging into the last room on her side, came up to him.
“Come on, Beloved. We need to eat, too.”
“Right.”
Entwining hands with Lilian, Kevin made his way downstairs and into the living room, where everybody seemed to be enjoying his and Lilian’s cooking. Several of the maids waved in greeting, and more than a few let them know how much they loved the food. While Lilian thanked everyone with the brightest smile anyone could ever muster, Kevin’s cheeks turned pink as he mumbled a soft thank you. It had been awhile since someone complimented him on his cooking.
“I must admit, children, that this cooking is very impressive,” Kuroneko said as they sat down at her booth. Iris was already sitting at the table and eating alongside the nekomata. Kevin took a moment to shake his head at how quickly she scarfed the food down. He wondered where she stored it all.
“Thanks!” Lilian’s brilliant smile lit up the room. “Beloved and I make the best food ever!”
Kuroneko’s amused eyes gleamed like twin yellow moons. “Indeed? You two certainly work well together in the kitchen. You could probably open up your own restaurant when you get older—if you wanted to.”
“A restaurant?” Lilian’s brow furrowed, then cleared as her eyes gained an extra sparkle. “That sounds like the perfect idea for a manga!”
Reaching into her cleavage, Lilian pulled out a sketchpad and a pencil, flipped through several pages, and started scribbling.
“This is going to be awesome… it’ll be just like Shokugeki no Soma… except instead of having a tournament-style manga, this one will just feature a lot of H-scenes as everyone orgasms from mine and Beloved’s cooking! Ufufufu…”
As Lilian started giggling to herself, Kuroneko looked at Kevin. “Is she always like this?”
“Sometimes,” Kevin answered. “Don’t worry about her. Lilian tends to get lost in her own little world whenever she’s got a new idea for a manga.”
“I see.”
“It’s because Lilian’s a really big Japanophile,” Iris added to the conversation. “Seriously, you should see her collection of Japanese stuff at home. It’s massive.”
“I’ll take your word for it.”
“Anyway,” Kevin coughed into his hand, “why don’t we get down to business? You mentioned that Daven’s letter asked for the Four Saints to join forces. I can only assume this was done so that we can become a third party in this war.”
“Yes, that is it exactly.” Kuroneko cut a slice of crepe and ate it, sighing contently before washing it down with almond milk. “I’m not sure how much you know about the war outside of the United States, but currently, every nation in the United Nations is at war with yōkai. That being said, the yōkai are a fractured group everywhere else in the world. Without a strong presence to force each species into submission, the various races just can’t get along.”
Unlike humans, whose only differences were their place of origin and the color of their skin, yōkai actually had hundreds of different species. Each species was unique, and they had their own unique culture. While all supernatural entities fell under the classification of “yōkai,” the truth was that “yōkai” was simply a general term used to describe the supernatural phenomenon otherwise known as monsters.
Calling yōkai “monsters” was misleading, however.
The word “yōkai” is made up of the kanji for “bewitching; attractive; calamity” and “apparition; mystery; suspicious.” They’ve also gone by other names, such as ayakashi, mononoke, and mamono. Yōkai can range from malevolent beings to mischievous ones and everything in between. Some bring good fortune to people while others bring calamity. Yōkai can range in appearance, too, with some having animal parts, like kitsune and nekomimi, while others look completely human; yuki-onna were the greatest example of this. There were also Shikigami, yōkai that were bound to an inanimate object, like a tea kettle or a doll.
To Kevin, yōkai was simply the term used to describe people with supernatural powers and long lifespans. Perhaps it was because of the times, but he didn’t see much difference between humans and yōkai. Both lived, worked, experienced happiness and sorrow, and fell in love and started families. Really, take out the supernatural powers and there was no difference between them anymore outside of their appearance.
“But that’s not really true, is it?” Kevin asked. “I mean, yōkai seem to get along just fine here in America.”
“And why do you think that is?” Kuroneko asked. “It’s because we’re here. The Four Saints. We’re the first group of yōkai to come together without regards to our species.”
Kevin leaned in, fascinated by the tale. Even Lilian had stopped scribbling in her sketchpad to listen. Iris was still eating, but he knew the sexy vixen well enough to know she was paying attention to everything Kuroneko said.
Kuroneko continued. “Other nations are controlled by single yōkai factions. Greece is under the control of the Pnevma clan, Russia is controlled by the Tengu King, China is Shinkuro’s domain, and Britain belongs to Hakuja no Myojin, The Great White Serpent.”
“I see.” Kevin adopted a thinking pose, cupping his chin and nodding several times. “Every other country only has one group of yōkai protecting it. Yōkai clans aren’t very large. America doesn’t have that problem because we don’t have any clans.”
“That’s right,” Kuroneko said, sounding quite pleased that he’d figured it out. “America is like a boiling pot where all yōkai come together, regardless of species. However…”
Kuroneko leaned back, and her eyes shifted. No longer were they lazy and amused. Instead, they had become so sharp that Kevin and Lilian leaned back in their seats. Even Iris was scooting away from the woman.
“… Just because we’re a melting pot doesn’t mean we all get along. The prejudices of our species are still present. That’s where we come in. Each member of the Four Saints has a very specific job. Mine is controlling the media stations and sifting through intelligence. Orin travels the country resolving issues between yōkai. Sarah deals with the yōkai underworld. And Daven controls the newspaper, poli
ce departments, and foreign threats, like illegally entering the country. Together, we’ve been keeping this place from becoming a war zone between yōkai for several centuries.”
“Then how did the Yamata Alliance suddenly appear?” Lilian asked before Kevin could.
Biting her lip, Kuroneko displayed an uncertainty for the first time since they’d met. “I don’t know. We’ve always had yōkai gangs living in America. There are several really prominent gangs whose names have even gone down in the history books, though no one actually knows these people were yōkai. However, the Yamata Alliance is a gang that seemingly sprang up overnight.”
“But gangs don’t just spring up overnight, do they?” Iris, having finally finished eating, asked.
Kuroneko shook her head. “No, they don’t, especially not ones large enough to be considered an army. What worries me is that none of the yōkai we’ve captured from the Yamata Alliance are registered in our database.”
Just like how humans went through a screening process to become registered as a United States citizen, yōkai looking to live in this country went through a similar process.
The Four Saints had agents all over—or they did, at one point—and that included the Department of Homeland Security. Whenever a yōkai came in, one of their people would screen them, apply them as a US citizen, and then place their yōkai information in a separate database that couldn’t be accessed remotely, which explained how the United States hadn’t found and hacked into it.
What Kuroneko was suggesting, and what really worried Kevin, was that somewhere over 100,000 yōkai had managed to sneak into the country without their knowledge. That shouldn’t have been possible unless the Four Saints were either extremely negligent or, the more likely scenario, someone powerful and well-connected was pulling the strings. Neither of those were very pleasing.
“Anyway, let us not worry about that right now,” Kuroneko said. “Eat up, child, we have another big day ahead of us.”
“What are we doing?” asked Kevin.
“Why, we’re going to the stadium,” Kuroneko answered as if it should have been obvious.
“… Eh?”
***
Lindsay was very grateful that it was Sunday.
Much like any other city, Neo Seiryuu had more than just apartment blocks and a school. Being a community that spanned just a little under ninety-six kilometers, the city had four large shopping complexes. Each complex was stationed at one of the four cardinal points, and they acted as a mall and hang out for young people.
Lindsay tried to ignore the stares as she sat with the beautiful red-haired kitsune. Lilian, or the woman claiming to be Lilian, only had a single tail out at the moment (the rest were hidden by an illusion), and her foxy ears twitched as she joyfully slurped on her slushy.
“Mmmm!” she moaned. “It’s been so long since I’ve had such a wonderful treat. There aren’t that many people who can make sweets like this anymore. So good!”
Lindsay tried not to blush. It seemed this Lilian had the same bad habit for releasing near-orgasmic moans while eating good food that the other one had.
“So, let me see if I understand this correctly,” she said. “You are Lilian from some time in the future.”
“Um, I’m from some time in the distant future,” Lilian agreed cheerfully. “Although I can’t tell you how far into the future I come from. There are rules and stuff that I have to follow, you understand?”
“Right.” Lindsay took a deep breath. She was very close to freaking out again. “You do realize how far-fetched that sounds, right? I mean, okay, I know that before meeting you, I would have never believed in yōkai either, but seriously? Time travel? Is that even possible?”
“It is for some people,” Lilian answered vaguely.
Lindsay didn’t know what to think. On the one hand, some random woman who looked like an older version of Lilian was telling her that she was from the future. On the other hand, why would some random woman whom she had never met tell her something like this?
“Okay. Let’s say I believe you,” Lindsay said. “If you really are from the future, then you should have knowledge about what will happen in the future, right?”
Still happily slurping on her slushy, Lilian nodded. “That’s right, though I can’t really tell you much. Part of the rules are that I can’t tell you anything about the future. If I did, then we could very well find ourselves in an inescapable paradox, or even a vicious cycle.”
“What about little things?”
Lilian bit her lower lip and thought for a moment. Lindsay felt her breathing hitch. For just a moment, she felt seriously envious of Lilian’s lip. Part of her wondered what it would feel like if Lilian nibbled on her lips.
Stop thinking like that! This girl is Kevin’s mate! At least, if she’s being honest about being from the future… there is still no guarantee that this is really Lilian. In which case… no, no, no! It’s still wrong!
While Lindsay was dealing with a crisis of yuri proportions, Lilian finally said, “I suppose telling you something inconsequential will be okay. There is nothing in the rules that says I can’t.”
Lindsay’s eyes gained a sudden vibrant sparkle. This was her chance! Finally, she could ask the question that had been burning within her for almost eight months now.
“Do Christine and I ever get together?”
“Ufufu, I should have known you would ask that,” Lilian giggled, though Lindsay thought her laughter seemed somehow melancholy. “Unfortunately, that’s not something I’m at liberty to tell you. There isn’t a whole lot I can say about this matter since doing so might irrevocably change the future, but I can say that depending on what flags you set off… well, the future is always in motion, so you never know.”
“Flags?” Lindsay didn’t get it, and sadly for her, Lilian appeared to have no intention of saying anymore.
“Like I said, Christine is actually someone I can’t tell you about because doing so might change the timelines. In either event, I’ve come back to the past for a reason, and that reason is to help you—”
“Help me get with Christine?!”
“No,” Lilian said bluntly. “I’m here to help you with your dilemma. You’ve always wished you could be of more help to the Kevin and Lilian of this timeline, right? You wish you could help fight their battles and become a pillar of strength that they can rely on?”
Lindsay’s eyes widened as shock coursed through her body. “Y-yeah, but how did you—”
“From the future, remember?”
“Oh, right. Please continue.”
“I am here to help you gain the strength you need to protect your friends.”
“How?”
“Why, by becoming a magical girl, of course!”
Lindsay needed several seconds to properly compute those words. When her brain finally processed and formatted them in a way she could comprehend, she proved herself as one of the most eloquent speakers known to modern English.
“Huh?”
***
Eric dragged his feet as he walked along the sidewalk, Julius traveling by his side with a happy smile. The bishounen pretty boy was still humming the same tune from breakfast.
Julius had tried wrapping his arms around one of Eric’s, much like a young lady might do with an escort, but Eric was having none of that. The young boy had sulked for a bit, but he’d cheered up after awhile. It seemed like he was perpetually cheerful.
“Where are we going?” asked Julius.
“Hell if I know.” Eric sighed. “It’s not like I’ve got anything to do today.”
And I’m not going to introduce you to my friends. No way in hell.
“So, you’re not doing anything today?”
“No.”
Julius grabbed Eric’s hand and gave him an imploring look. “Ah! In that case, can you please come with me?”
U-ugh… must… resist… cute!
Eric struggled against the face that Julius was making. He did so by re
minding himself that Julius wasn’t a girl. He wasn’t even a futa. This pretty person was straight up male. However, the more Eric tried to resist, the more he found himself failing. Even knowing that Julius was a dude didn’t help, nor did it change the fact that, from the neck up at least, Julius looked like a really beautiful girl.
“W… w… where…?”
“Where?” Julius asked, tilting his head curiously.
“Where…” Eric struggled to get the words out. Just saying this made him sick to his stomach! “Where do you… want to… take me?”
“Um! Somewhere private!” Julius said, beaming at him with a bright smile.
Eric internally wailed as he was dragged off to who knows where.
Why me?!!
***
“Here we are. The Dodger’s baseball stadium.”
Lilian stared up at the large construction before them. Metal and concrete came together, creating a structure that was shaped like a giant rounded diamond.
This was her first time seeing a baseball stadium, or any kind of stadium from up close. The closest she’d ever been to one was when she and Kevin had once passed Chase Field. They’d been going to the Phoenix Fan Fest at the time, and she’d only caught a glimpse from far away. There had also been several buildings hampering her vision of it.
“Wow,” she whispered. “It’s so big.”
“That’s what she said.” Iris snickered—until Kevin and Lilian simultaneously smacked her in the back of the head. “Owch! Did you two really have to hit me?”
“Yes,” Kevin said.
“You should just be lucky that I decided not to Gomu Gomu you in the head,” Lilian added.
“Tch! Filthy weeaboos.”
“What was that?”
“I said I love you two.”
“Come along, children,” Kuroneko interrupted their banter. “I would like to be seated before the crowd becomes any bigger.”
Kuroneko led them into the stadium, the crowd parting for her like a Masamune blade splitting a river. Lilian noticed the number of stares coming their way and, even though only a few were directed at her, she still felt her stomach jitter.
A Fox's Alliance (American Kitsune Book 10) Page 18
