by Lila Mina
“Well, you can crash at my place. Where are you now, and where are you going?”
“Outside Shibuya, on our way to Honda sensei’s house in Setagaya. Do you have steady access to the network now?”
“Yeah, more or less. I forgot my portable Wi-Fi unit at work, but my neighbor opened her network to everyone, bless her soul. The good news is, Michelle is no longer a major priority, right? The bitch...” Both women chuckled ruefully before Gabriella continued, serious again. “Lana, about him. Is everything okay? I know it sounds stupid to ask this now, and you’re a big girl having a great time. I told you to have fun, but I shouldn’t worry, right? You’ve got this under control and can handle him?”
Lana smiled. Her friend was such a mother hen. “Everything is fine; we’re not doing anything I don’t like or don’t want, and right now, we’re focused on more pressing issues anyway. Let’s discuss this next time we meet, because we have to get moving now. I’ll call you later today, okay?”
“All right, good luck out there. I guess you’re in for a long walk, right? Be careful.”
“Thank you, you too!” Lana hung up and pressed her palms to her eyes. Can this stop now? I wanna sleep…
“What happened? What did she tell you?”
She glanced up and winced against the harsh sunlight behind Honda’s hovering frame. It was still early, yet too bright and hot for comfort. “I’m homeless. My apartment was at best damaged, at worst destroyed in a fire that took out most of my building.”
Silent, Honda cocked his head and stared at her. Time came to a standstill; Lana grew aware of the gravel scratching the skin of her knees through the thin cotton of her yukata, adding to her throbbing thighs and buttocks. A part of her embraced this tolerable pain—a welcome distraction from the chaos around them and the uncertainty swelling inside her.
Then, with surprising softness, Honda seized her elbow to pull her up. “This is extremely unfortunate, and I am glad you were with me last night. But no, you are not homeless. You will stay with us.”
Only his firm grip prevented her from taking a step back. “What? It’s impossible, too much too soon. And what about Yuki sama? She can’t agree to this. Can you imagine the unbearable tensions? I’ll go to Gabriella’s.”
“Oh, the news will delight Yuki to no end.” Honda smirked. “She will make the same proposal immediately. As for the rest, we have plenty of room. You will continue to lead your life as you please and move out whenever you wish. This is an easy and practical solution, with more space and flexibility than at your friend’s place.”
It was her turn to scrutinize him in silence. We’ve bared ourselves to each other, and yet, I know almost nothing about him, even less her. Where are we going with this? It’s not a game, is it? Am I so important to him?
She suckled her bottom lip and jumped to the next level. “Well, her apartment has only two rooms, so yes, I guess it would be convenient. But only as a temporary solution until I find something else, or my company provides me with a furnished unit,” she hastened to add. “Thank you very much for your generous offer. I’ll pay a rent and cover my share of expenses.”
Honda snorted. “Out of question, you will be our guest. Your continuous presence will already be ample compensation.”
A smirk and quirked eyebrow told him what she thought of his thinking. She fixed her clothes, re-tied her hair and put back her half-empty bottle in her bag. “This time, I’m ready to go.”
17
Creepy Encounters
They took off, still going westward but moving up north, avoiding the larger avenues and narrower streets where aftershocks would expose them more easily to falling tiles and debris. During the first stretch, they joined an endless line of people drifting in the same direction. The crowd followed the tracks of the Keio-Inokashira train line as it was the easiest way to not get lost. The first goal was Shimokitazawa station, and then it would be a straight line for eight kilometers.
At Shimokitazawa, Honda led them back to quieter streets, away from the throngs of walkers. Despite her best efforts, Lana lagged behind him. With each step, the day grew hotter and her legs heavier. The weather was cloudy, the humidity levels high, and she perspired profusely; for now, they weren’t burning under a scorching sun. Still, her fair skin was doomed to get sunburned. Honda would turn a darker shade of tan, lucky him.
She wasn’t the only one to notice. “Let’s take a short break,” Honda said. “Your face is red. Go sit in the shade on that bench over there.”
“I’ll be fine. We don’t have time to waste.”
With an aggravate sigh, Honda grabbed her elbow, and led her to the bench. “Sit. Five minutes will not make a big difference anyway. Let me check to see if I can find anything else to drink around here. Wait for me.”
Lana sighed, not even trying to argue with his unnecessary bossiness. Boy, I must be exhausted. Let’s be honest, it’ll be good to stop for a minute.
She took a long sip at her now lukewarm water and grimaced. Her last bottle was almost empty.
Honda had just turned around the corner when someone tugged at her elbow. Lana couldn’t help a yelp when she recognized the granny who had taunted her in front of the love hotel in February. What is she doing around here?
“Obaa san,” Lana said softly. The disaster had to be especially daunting and stressful for older people. “I’d never thought we’d meet again. Are you all right? Do you need anything?”
“Do you have amazake with you?” This time, her voice was frail and high-pitched. What an odd request. Sweet sake wasn’t something anyone carried with them, even less in those circumstances.
Lana frowned and shook her head. “No, I’m sorry. How about water instead?” She showed her almost empty PET bottle. Quick as lightning, the old woman grabbed the proffered bottle and emptied it. Lana blinked in surprise.
The woman offered a slight bow of gratitude as deep as her hunched back allowed. Lana returned the move by reflex. “Thank you for your kindness, little one. Let me give you something in return.” She foraged in a large bag hanging on her back and took out two worn-out long towels. “Put one on your head.”
“Oh, thank you very much obaa chan, but I cannot accept. You’ll need this more than I do.”
“Don’t be stupid, now. Take it and use it as a hat before you burn to a crisp. Why, with light hair like this, you might go up in flames!” she cackled, and Lana shivered despite the heat, remembering their unsettling first meeting. “This one is for your husband. Glad to see he made you an honest woman,” the old woman added with a wink.
Lana blushed and shook her head, embarrassed and once again annoyed at the woman’s mingling in her business. “Ah, he is not my husband.”
The old one snickered. “Is that so? You called him as such, and he does seem to order you around, as he would his wife. Those men. Always so bossy, aren’t they?”
“Errr… yes… well, it’s… a bit complicated, I’m afraid…”
The same odd gleam in the granny’s hooded eyes that had rattled Lana in February was back. Her face shifted to wear a knowing, unsettling look. “Oh, I see. Then he is your master. Hm… Nogitsune will find this highly informative.”
“Wait… what? What did you–”
“Lana san, here is some water, drink this bottle in full before we move on.”
Lana jumped on her seat and turned toward Honda, who had come back on her left. “What? Oh, thank you, but listen, I don’t understand what’s going on. This old woman here…”
Honda frowned and glanced around. “What old woman?”
“Well, this one, of course. This small–”
To her dismay, they were alone the narrow street. “I… Where did she go? I had a full conversation with an old granny while you were gone… She… she even gave me those towels to protect our heads.”
Honda shrugged. “Well, these old people walk faster than we often expect. This is a nice gift though. We can use it.”
The encounter
left Lana confused, but she kept it to herself. The heat and exhaustion had certainly made her oversensitive. Finishing her new bottle of water, she wrapped the not-so-clean towel on her head, following his example. In the end, she couldn’t help herself. “Goshujin sama, what is ‘nogitsune’?”
Honda rounded on her. The intensity on his face startled her and she took a step back. “Why are you asking me this?”
“Errr… it’s just something that obaa chan said.”
His face darkened, and he gave a hard glance at their surroundings. “Hm, there is no reason for her to use this word. You must have misunderstood. Let’s go now,” he ordered, taking off without a back glance.
Lana blinked at his rebuke. Looking up the word sounded like a good idea because she was convinced she had not misunderstood the creepy woman. Shaking her head, she jogged to catch up with him; they had more pressing things on their plates, anyway.
They made two more pit-stops at a CVS, but food and drinks had become scarce. Disrupted supply routes wouldn’t get back to normal for several days. The need for water became urgent. Finally, they came across a Buddhist temple nestled in a park. Bordered by a long, white and grey wall, its imposing eight-meter tall gate marking the entrance. The tall and elegant pagoda, standing in a large courtyard right in front of the entrance, seemed intact.
“Sorry, but can we stop again? I need a short break. How about sitting under that karamon?”
A quick glance at her face was enough to convince Honda. “Yes, go ahead and enjoy the shade. Sometimes temples have vending machines in the back, I will check it out.”
Lana sat on the large and flat stones paving the main gate of the temple. Her back against the heavy and bronze-ornamented wooden doors, she contemplated her surroundings.
A mix of new and older houses, a couple of apartment condos, but mostly private homes with tiny gardens: this was a typical Tokyo neighborhood. Many older buildings had suffered from the previous night’s strong shakes, but none had burnt down or been reduced to dust. A stroke of luck, but also good preparation and experience. People and buildings sway, but at the end they resist and overcome. Resilience is the blood of this country.
Honda came back and handed her a bottle of water. “Drink this and pour this one on your face and neck to cool down. Keep some to wet your towel. You are again too red to my liking.”
Lana gulped the precious liquid. “It can’t be worse than when we train in August, can it?”
“You are almost as purple and much more exhausted and dehydrated than after a simple one-hour training session. Let me help you. Bend back,” he said before pouring water on her reclined head and hair with a careful gesture. Relief was instantaneous. Too bad everything would dry in a blink.
“Don’t you need water as well?”
“A wet towel is enough. Don’t worry about me.” His voice had softened. Water trickling down her face, she opened her eyes and caught him watching her with a new intensity.
She arched an eyebrow. “I’ll stop worrying when you do,” she retorted matter-of-factly while re-tying her wet and messy hair in a low bun. A shower. My kingdom for a nice, cool shower...
Honda grunted; any softness that had crept in disappeared. “I am not your responsibility.”
“Ah, that’s what you say! While this is heavily tilting in your favor, our agreement goes both ways in my book. What will I tell Yuki sama if you end up with a heat stroke, hm? ‘My apologies, we walked for more than six hours under relentless heat, he drank less than me, but he told me everything was fine, and it wasn’t my job to ask, and you know men, when it comes to their health, they’re always spot on, so I trusted his word…’” She smirked. “I’m sure she would understand and not be mad at me.”
She wasn’t surprised when Honda stepped inside her personal sphere and towered over her, but the smile tugging at his lips was unexpected. “I wonder if inviting you to stay in my home is such a good idea. Two strong-headed women with quick wits… I can already see you conspiring against me. Maybe I should sleep with a blade under my pillow from now on?”
Lana stifled her own smile and lowered her eyes with a falsely demure attitude. “Oh no, you shouldn’t be afraid. After all, I’m the poster girl for obedient respect…”
Something a little dark and dangerous clouded his face, and he cupped her cheek. “Yes, I will have your obedience, particularly in more private settings.”
Lana shivered, their memorable moments together flashing in her mind. “You have it. I promised, didn’t I?” she replied in a whisper.
His grip tightened on her jaw. “You did, and I am grateful for it,” Honda said in kind. They stared at each other for a few heartbeats, but a moderate aftershock interrupted whatever brewed again between them. Wary, they watched their surroundings, checking if anything threatened to fall on their heads.
“Let’s hurry now,” Honda urged after the tremors ceased. “Those clouds over there? A thunderstorm is coming our way. It will help with the sun and heat, but our trek will become more unpleasant.”
Thirty minutes later, the skies opened over the battered megalopolis. In a blink, those walking home got drenched to the bone. At first, Lana was relieved to feel so much water on her, but after a while, her spirits became as dampened as her body. Her legs and lower back were a thick mass of hurting muscles; it was hard to keep herself from sitting by the road and crying her eyes out. Only her pride kept her from breaking down in front of Honda, giving her the motivation to keep on walking.
Two broken and discarded umbrellas laying on the ground saved them from complete misery. Still, with their yukata, the rain slowed them–or rather Lana–down, and it took them two more hours to arrive in an upscale neighborhood. The street signs around them told her that they had reached Setagaya ward. By then, not many people walked with them anymore. The properties surrounding them were larger than usual for Japan. Money was no issue for the residents.
“I only see fallen tiles here and there, no sign of significant damage,” Lana pointed out.
“Residents around here take good care of their houses, with frequent repairs and maintenance work. It is expensive but necessary.”
They were alone in the street now, and it wasn’t surprising given the downpour falling on their heads. Movement caught her eye, and she tapped her companion’s arm.
“What is this kid doing on his own, playing in the rain today of all days? Do you know him?” Ahead of them, a child jumped in muddy puddles under a yellow umbrella.
“Hm… no, but then, many new families have moved in recently. Oi!” he shouted at the child. “Go home! You shouldn’t be outside now!”
The child didn’t stop playing, and the couple heard him laugh. “Ah, come on.” Lana sighed. “Let’s not waste more time. He is well equipped to play in the rain, anyway.”
Honda grunted, and they turned a corner. He came to a brusque halt. “Oh. This is Nakazawa sama’s car in front of my house.” He didn’t even bother to hide his annoyance.
“He must have wanted to check on Yuki sama,” Lana mused aloud, tired, soaked, miserable and dreaming of dry clothes and a bed. “Wait, how are we going to explain me being with you?”
“Leave it to me. Whatever happens, speak only if asked a direct question. Stay behind me and be quiet.”
“I get the picture. Can we go in now?” she replied tartly.
Honda pivoted on his heels, lips pinched with aggravation. “This. This is what you need to keep in check: your attitude. You may be tired but behaving like this around him is the last thing you should do. I have a low tolerance for it in general, but this could be disastrous right now. Do you understand?”
Lana’s blood began to boil. My attitude? Give me a break! What about yours? Can we not just relax a little bit here?
By some miracle, she managed not to lash out. Both were at their limits, and it was neither the time nor the place to argue; Nakazawa’s abrasive reputation preceded him. “Yes…” she hissed between her teeth. “My apolog
ies, goshujin sama. I will keep quiet.”
Honda stared at her for a few more heartbeats like he was prone to do when they clashed. It reminded her of zanshin, the necessity to keep an eye on your opponent after taking them down to make sure they were neutralized. It summed up their relationship pretty well. Their wordless confrontation came to an end when they heard the same laugh as before. Both glanced around, expecting to see the kid, but he was nowhere to be seen.
“Oh… how beautiful. Would you look at that?” Lana grabbed Honda’s arm, forgetting the mischievous child. A bright and colorful sun shower lightened up the western side of the horizon.
To her surprise, his muscles stiffened under her fingers. “Kitsune no yomeiri!” he muttered. “Here and now? But then… was this amefurikozo?”
Lana frowned; his words didn’t make sense. “What does a fox’s… ‘wedding’ have to do with this? And what is amefurikozo?”
Honda gave her a blank stare, but then regained his usual composure. “Kitsune no yomeiri means indeed just this-the wedding of a fox-and this is what we call this phenomenon. Amefurikozo is the name of... a sort of… spirit who can adjust rainfall to help foxes who need it for their wedding.”
“What a nice story!” Lana exclaimed with a smile. “In Italy, we say it means that two cats are… well, doing it.” She chuckled. “I love this kind of lore. I don’t know much about yokai and other Japanese ghosts, however.”
Honda’s face turned dark again, and his eyes narrowed. “Those are not–” He stopped, shaking his head. “Anyway, we are standing here in the rain when my home is right there. This is ridiculous. Let’s go now, and remember, let me handle this.”
18
Master and Mistress of the House
Honda strolled toward his home and typed in the entrance code to the side door of a larger gate. Once inside, Lana caught herself before she whistled in admiration. The property included a huge one-story, traditional house with a blue-tiled roof; a spacious garden surrounded it. A snow-white wall ran around the estate and provided privacy from prying eyes.
