make this into an anime
or a comic
If I had the time, and the money, and the focus, and the energy, and the ability, and ZUN's permission, I would be doing this.
Anyway, I'm going to be away for the most of the week, so enjoy your early update!
-----
?This is not what I signed up for.?
Komachi scratched her head as she looked up at the overpowering decor of the Myouren Institute. Every wall and window was plastered with tacky motivational messages and posters. Most had the Institute?s logo - a wooden ship taking ?The Voyage To Enlightenment? - in the corner. None of them were remotely original.
?Sorry, Komachi-san.? Koishi reached up and put a hand on Komachi?s shoulder for support. ?But neither of us are old enough to really be involved with adoption, so...?
?Yeah, yeah. Pick on the old lady, why don?t ya?? Komachi?s eyes were locked on the floor, refusing to take another look at the nonsense staining the walls. ?Who knows? Maybe the break?ll do me some good. Sumire said I needed to step away from the case for a bit, anyway.?
With a hung head and a pale face, the lawyer stumbled towards the front entrance. Koishi and Sango followed behind, holding hands and doing their best to act like siblings. Sharing a hair colour helped a lot on that front.
They were only a few steps into the room when they heard the shout.
?GOOD MORNING!?
Komachi almost fell over as a young girl screamed into her ear. She twirled about as if she?d been attacked, raising a fist.
?You little-? Koishi saw the first syllable of a profanity form on Komachi?s lips. The girl looked terrified, clutching her broom to shield herself. A second later, Komachi remembered the role she was meant to play.
?...angel. Little angel.? She reached out and gave the girl a little pat on the head. The child stared up at the hand in wonder before nuzzling at it like a cat.
?Little angel! Kyouko-chan?s an angel!? she said to herself. Komachi gave her companions another glare when the girl wasn?t looking.
?Oh, someone?s here?? At the sound of the girl?s yelling, an older woman stepped out of a side corridor. She had a cell phone to her ear, which she was constantly speaking into. ?Look, Unzan, I need to hang up on you right now. ...No, it?s a visitor. That?s my job, remember?? She grabbed at her pale brown hair, tucked beneath the hood of her jacket. ?No, I
can?t put you on hold. I?m paying for this call, and I?m not going to-well, fine! YOU hang up!?
She pocketed the cell phone, taking a deep breath before approaching the trio of newcomers. ?Sorry about that. My boyfriend is...dense.? She bowed towards Komachi, quickly deciding she was the senior member of the group. ?My name is Ichirin. I?m the receptionist of the Myouren Institute. Is there anything I can help you with??
Komachi smiled, probably at the sight of someone her own size. ?Well, I heard ya had an adoption system around here, and I wanted to take a look around.? She wrapped her arms around Koishi and Sango, pulling them in as tightly as she could. ?My two girls were asking me about getting a little sister, and I felt our house needed a few more heads, if y?know what I mean.?
Koishi would have been impressed by Komachi?s acting if she wasn?t having the life squeezed out of her by her ?embrace?. Komachi let go just in time to avoid breaking something.
?Ah, so you want to meet the children?? Ichirin nodded, giving the broom-holder another pat on the head. ?Kyouko-chan, go to your room, okay??
Kyouko offered Ichirin a salute. ?Yes, ma?am!? She scurried off down the corridor, taking her broom with her. Ichirin sighed as she watched her go.
?I apologise if she was difficult. Some of our children are a little unruly. We try to cultivate mindfulness in them, but there?s only so far we can help someone who doesn?t want our help.? Her expression sank as she put her hands in her pockets. Was she thinking of someone in particular? ?Anyway, if you want to look around the premises, you?ll need to be supervised by a senior official. I think Hijiri-san is free right now, actually...?
She pulled out her phone again, hammering in another number and putting it to her ear. ?Hi, Hijiri-san? There?s a woman here who?s considering an adoption, and she wants to take a look around. ...OK, that?s great. Thanks.? She closed the phone over. ?She?ll be here in a few minutes, so if you could just take a seat?? She motioned to a corner of the room flooded with chairs. Komachi nodded, motioning for her ?kids? to sit alongside her.
?Now, if you?ll excuse me, I?ll-? Ichirin?s departure was interrupted by her phone ringing again. She looked at the caller ID with a groan before putting it back to her ear. ?Unzan, it?s been two minutes. Of course I?m still busy.? Koishi heard her muttering to her boyfriend all the way down the corridor until she was out of sight.
?Strange girl,? Sango said. Koishi shrugged. She?d seen a lot stranger in the last few months.
With the receptionist gone, Koishi had a chance to look around while they waited on Byakuren. It turned out not to be worth the effort, as once again the walls were plastered with ?YOU CAN DO ANYTHING? and ?REACH FOR THE STARS?. It was well-intended, undoubtedly, but even Koishi had to admit it was rather corny.
A few minutes later, footsteps echoed down the corridor, and the director of the Institute stepped in.
?Good morning! I assume you?re the prospective parent I was hearing about?? She bowed towards Komachi. ?I?m Byakuren Hijiri. It?s a pleasure to meet you.?
Byakuren was the sort of woman that definitely left an impression. Her light brown hair bounced about as if it had a life of its own, and she swirled her hands about in all directions as she spoke. She smiled perpetually, and never seemed quite capable of standing still. Koishi worried that the woman would burst out of her skin if she didn?t calm down.
?I?d like to say before anything else that you?re doing a great thing.? Byakuren took Komachi?s hands and looked into her eyes. ?These kids need love and affection desperately, and while the Institute does its best we can?t fill in for a real parental figure. There aren?t enough of us to go around, sadly, so it?s people like you that deserve the real praise.?
Komachi visibly shivered. It had to be hard to receive praise like that when she had no intention of actually adopting anyone. That said, if they
did find a Siren here, they?d have to arrange some sort of housing for her. Koishi figured the professor would have a plan ready for that.
?Anyway, would you like me to show you around?? Byakuren stepped back into the corridor, beckoning Komachi in with one finger. ?You can bring your little girls in too, if you?d like.?
Komachi stepped out of the chair and followed, with Koishi and Sango right behind her. They passed through a few more corridors of cliches and business mottos before the decor shifted away from tacky posters into a much more subdued wooden framework. The posters grew less and less common until there was almost nothing to differentiate one wall from another. The change made Koishi even less willing to look around.
?Bit bleak in here,? Komachi said to break the awkward silence that ensued. ?Where did all the confidence boosters go??
?We don?t do much in the way of decoration,? Byakuren answered, still beaming. ?We have to give off a very different outlook for the outside world - they think we?re a little box of sunshine and rainbows.?
?Then what
are you??
?We?re something much greater than that. Look at all the children nowadays who are told how special and valuable they are. Where does it lead them? More often than not, into a life of misery and mediocrity.? Byakuren spoke with the quiet confidence of faith. ?We believe it?s best that children truly understand the way of life. We teach them Buddhist practices, offer an education system, and generally try to cultivate mindfulness. Many of our children go on to take up the cloth at a local monastery, but some are taken in by loving families like your own.?
It was a nice idea on paper, but something about it rubbed Koishi the wrong way. She kept the feeling to herself - after all, that Kyouko girl had seemed rather happy. Maybe she was just being judgmental.
?Right! I?ll give you a few minutes with each of the kids.? Byakuren turned into a corridor with a dozen doors at each side, each with a little name plate above the doorknob. ?They?re all lovely, really. You?ll get on great with them.?
Sure enough, the boys and girls of the Institute were well-mannered children all around. None of them were older than twelve or thirteen, and each of them had the same bright smile as Byakuren. Many of them spoke highly of Byakuren for being a wonderful teacher, and the Institute in general for being a great place to be brought up. They ranged from shy to proud and from calm to energetic, but a couple stood out among the rest. Kyouko, the girl from earlier, could recite Buddhist sutras with her eyes closed, and took great pride in that fact. Another girl seemed convinced she was a navy captain and refused to eat anything other than curry rice at dinner time.
As eye-opening as the experience was, the team didn?t find what they were looking for. The blonde-haired Siren was nowhere to be found. There wasn?t even anyone close to her age.
Koishi sighed to herself. And the lead had looked so promising, too.
?Well, that?s everyone,? Byakuren said as she led the trio out of the last room. ?Did anyone catch your eye??
Komachi pulled a straight face. ?I?ll have to think about it. They?re all great kids, though...if you ask me, most of ?em don?t look like they really wanna leave. You mighta done too good a job there.?
?Is that a compliment?? Byakuren brushed it off with a small giggle. ?I made a point of teaching them that they couldn?t stay here forever. One day, they?ll all have to-?
She stopped mid-sentence as her head jerked about. ?Ah-!? She stepped to the side, her smile suddenly looking much less genuine. ?A-Anyway, I?m hoping that you choose to spend some more time with our girls and-hyaah!? she stopped again as something scurried between her legs. By the time Koishi noticed it, it was already behind her.
Turning around, Koishi saw a mouse running down the hallway. It cut a strangely-precise path down the corridor, and seemed too well-groomed to be feral - but none of the kids they?d met kept any pets at all. It was curious enough that Koishi couldn?t help but follow after it.
?Where are you going?!? Byakuren yelled from behind, her cheer forgotten. ?That area?s not open to visitors!?
Koishi ignored her. Somewhere in her gut a voice told her this was the way to go. It was like Alice and the white rabbit, though a great deal less hygienic. She found it easy to keep up with the mouse as it took her far away from the kids? living quarters, into a whole new area of the Institute.
The mouse turned into another corridor of bedrooms, but this one was almost uninhabited. Most of the doors had no nameplate, and some hung open to show empty rooms. The animal ran to the end of the corridor, slinking into a hole at the bottom of the last door and creeping inside. The name ?SHOU? was written in big bold letters above the doorknob.
Found you. Koishi felt a surge of accomplishment charge through her. Sango was the first to catch up, her youkai physique winning out over the two humans.
?Eh?? Sango stared in astonishment at the nameplate. ?There?s another one??
Koishi didn?t answer. She just motioned towards the door. Sango took that as her cue to make her usual check.
?Uh...phwee!?
It only took a second for the echo to return to the dolphin. She jerked upright and nodded.
Just as Koishi had suspected.
?Wait, don?t-? Byakuren called out from the other side of the corridor, but as she saw Koishi standing in front of the door her vigor faded away. Komachi followed behind, looking unwilling to add physical exertion to her list of duties today.
?Uh, Hijiri-san?? Koishi said as she pointed at the door. ?I think you forgot about someone.?
-----
?...I see.?
Byakuren?s expression went sour as she came up to Koishi. She stared at the door with and trembled, looking ready to run at any moment. ?You should leave that girl alone.?
?Huh?? Komachi glowered at Byakuren. ?What?s that supposed to mean? You?re not playin? favourites, are ya??
?Shou is...I?d like to say she?s a work in progress, but it?d be more accurate to say she?s the Institute?s greatest failure.? The director sighed. ?We took her in when she was barely old enough to walk, and she?s gone nowhere since then. She?s never been willing to go along with her elders, and I think she?s been sneaking out and getting into fights. I?ve called in every professional I can to examine her, but all I hear are darker and darker diagnoses. If we can?t help her, what sort of damage could she do to an actual family??
Koishi?s brow furrowed. Something about Byakuren?s argument sounded off. Did she not know about all the work Shou had been doing around the city? Her despair sounded genuine enough, but why would Shou lie about something like that?
?Hijiri-san...is it okay if we talk to her?? Koishi clasped her hands together and bowed her head. ?Just for a few minutes, that?s all.?
Byakuren raised an eyebrow. ?Why would you insist on working with a problem child? Honestly, you should leave her to us-?
?Please!? Koishi couldn?t hide her desperation. She couldn?t rely on Sango running into Shou by chance again. This was their best chance to make real contact with the Siren.
Byakuren sank into contemplation for a few seconds. Eventually, she nodded. ?Very well. I?ll make myself scarce, then. Let me know if she does anything unruly.? She moved further down the corridor to give the ?family? some distance.
Koishi cracked her neck. She probably wouldn?t have long, so she?d have to make a good first impression. She took a deep breath as she knocked on the door.
?Yeah, I heard all of that,? said the voice on the other side. ?Come in already.?
Koishi frowned. That wasn?t the best start. She was slow and gentle as she pulled the door open.
Shou?s room was in a whole other league from the rest of the institute. For one, she had the gall to put a poster up on her wall, an old pinup from The Gate To Makai. The lead singer winked as she gave the camera a nice angle on her chest. A guitar sat in the corner of the room gathering dust, and a pile of dirty clothing was building up in front of the wardrobe. Koishi could see plenty of tank-tops, vests, skirts, and other outfits you wouldn?t imagine on a Buddhist monk.
Shou herself was sitting on the bed, tending to the cage on the nearby chest of drawers. She carefully nudged her mouse through the doorway before closing the latch. The mouse glowered at her.
?Sorry, Nazrin, but I really don?t get a lot of visitors. Be good, okay??
The mouse, unsurprisingly, didn?t respond. It walked off into a corner of its cage and munched at a food pellet. That was sufficiently good behaviour for Shou.
?Anyway, who are you to be so interested in-? As Shou turned towards the door, her eyes locked on Sango immediately. The penny dropped. ?Huh. This is a first.?
Sango waved as she followed Koishi inside. ?Hi! Sorry we didn?t call in advance or anything, but you?re a really hard girl to find.?
Shou fell backwards onto the bed. ?Well, grandma tells me not to bring anyone home with me, so my hands are tied there.?
?Grandma??
?Byakuren-san, obviously.? She stuck her tongue out at Sango. ?Have you seen that woman? She?s like fifty or something, but she does everything she can to hide it. Besides, by now she?s the closest thing to a grandma I have.?
She seemed bright enough, if maybe a bit unruly for her surroundings. Perhaps this wouldn?t be so hard.
Koishi took a seat next to Shou on the bed. ?Uh, Shou-san...is it okay if we ask you a few questions about where you?ve been recently??
She?d chosen her words poorly. The girl tensed. ?Oh, for the love of-you?re one of those counselors, are you? Jeez, I told her I was sick of you people trying to fix me.? Shou rolled about on the bed, growling as if she was ready to roar. ?No, I don?t have abandonment issues, and
no, I?m not acting for the attention of some absent father figure. I?ve heard all of these theories before, and I?m sick of ?em.?
The burst of aggression caught Koishi off guard. She shuffled down the bed slightly to move a few inches away.
?I?m not a counselor,? she said. ?I just want to get to know you.?
Shou rolled her eyes. ?Yeah, that?s what they all say. They talk to me for an hour, they smile and nod a lot, and then they go tell grandma I?m messed up in the head. Which of course means they want her to fork out for another set of ?therapy? sessions...?
She sat up, looking towards Nazrin rather than her guests. ?Anyway, I know how you guys work. You just take everything I say and bend it so it means what you want it to. I?m not playing along with your crap anymore, alright??
The mouse seemed to share in her frustration, pressing against the walls of the cage and hissing at Koishi. The Siren gulped.
?Look, Shou-san...? She thought for a moment, trying to find a lighter way to open Shou up. She looked for something heartfelt that wouldn?t be misinterpreted, that?d win the new Siren over without falling prey to suspicion.
Nothing came to her. Whatever Shou had been through, it had left her without any semblance of trust. There were no words that could bridge the gap between them.
Then again, there is that thing they say about words and actions.Koishi nodded to Sango. The dolphin nodded back and closed the door behind her. Komachi looked out of the loop as Sango motioned for her to step away.
Time to skip the pleasantries.?Shou-san, I want to show you something.? Koishi reached into the usual pocket and pulled out her Teardrop. She held it out on her palm and showed it to Shou.
?Eh? This isn?t bribery, is it?? Shou looked even more disgusted by the idea, sticking up her nose at it.
Koishi grinned. This was her favourite part. She squeezed the Teardrop and began to chant.
?Wherever evil forces be,
On the land or in the sea,
All who sin should cower and flee
From Dolphin Rider Koishi!?Shou just about fell off of the bed in awe as Koishi transformed right before her eyes. Even the mouse cowered into the back of its cage at the sight of her. She added a little twirl of her trident for effect, winking at Shou as she took on her Siren form.
Her pride was deflated rapidly when Shou started to laugh.
?Ah...hahahaa!? Shou pointed with one hand, covering her eyes with the other. ?Holy shit, really? Did you walk out of some little girl?s colouring book? You look like you?re seven years old!?
Koishi wanted to bop her over the head, but she resisted the urge. She settled for tapping the bottom of the trident against the floor with a satisfying thump.
?Shou-san, we have a reason to believe you?re part of something very important. You might be...well, one of us.?
This time Shou had no witty comeback. She stood in silence, looking up and down Koishi?s body for a moment.
?...You?re serious, aren?t you?? Shou sounded like she was expecting a punchline any minute now. Koishi looked back at her without a hint of humour.
Finally, Shou asked the most important question of all. ?Do I have to wear something as corny as that??
?Probably not,? Komachi interjected. Koishi smacked her trident against the floor again.
?Then you?ve got my interest. Even if you?re making this all up, it sounds like a fun way to waste my afternoon.? Shou jumped to her feet, cracking her neck as she did. ?But, uh, can we talk about this later? Grandma will probably kick you out in a few minutes if you?re not one of those ?professionals?.?
?Sounds good.? Koishi put a hand over the Teardrop on her chest, and the transformation played out again in reverse. Within seconds she was back to being an everyday high-schooler. ?I figure you?re going to sneak out again??
?Whatever gave you that idea?? Shou said with a smirk. ?Grandma doesn?t try to stop me anymore, so I can meet you wherever.?
?How does Lorelei?s at noon sound??
Shou patted at her stomach. ?Great, as long as you?re paying for it.?
?It?s a date, then.? Koishi bowed. ?And, um...thanks for hearing us out.?
Shou rubbed at her nose. ?Hey, don?t mention it. Looking at your crummy getup has already made my morning.?
Deep breaths, Koishi. Deep breaths.The trio shuffled out of the room, with Koishi being the last to leave. All in all, it had gone as well as she could have asked for. She could only hope that Shou would be receptive and willing to take on the role of a Siren.
And yet, as she stepped out into the corridor, she couldn?t help but feel two tiny eyes glaring at her.
-----
?So how was she??
Byakuren jumped to Komachi?s side as they turned out of the corridor. The lawyer grumbled out a response.
?She seemed okay enough. Rebellious, maybe, but lively.?
Byakuren frowned. If Shou had been telling the truth, the director probably had a very different view of her. They may as well have been discussing two different people.
?Anyway, I hope you?re satisfied now.? Byakuren made sure to work a smile back onto her face as she led the ?family? to the door. ?Get in touch with us if you make a decision, alright??
It was hard to keep a straight face as she lied, but her time in court had given Komachi plenty of practice. ?Sure thing. Thanks for the tour.?
Byakuren gave them one final wave before returning to her duties. Komachi led her supposed children out of the Institute, never looking back for fear of seeing those goddamn posters again. It took a block?s distance for her to muster up the courage to turn around.
?So what the hell was that?? she said to Koishi. ?I thought we were meant to be subtle about this stuff.?
Koishi answered with a surprising amount of confidence. ?She?s a Siren, isn?t she? We?ve got no reason to hide it from her, and it?s not like she?s going to tell anyone.?
That...made a decent amount of sense. If Shou was sick of being psychoanalysed, the last thing she?d want is to mention something that would
really make her look crazy. Maybe Koishi was better at planning this stuff than Komachi gave her credit for.
?Anyway, what?s our next move?? Komachi asked. ?Are we just gonna wait on her like we said, or are we doing some snooping??
Koishi shook her head. ?We?re sticking to the straight and narrow, Komachi-san. The surveillance is
their job.?
She pointed across the road at a nearby van, proclaiming itself to belong to Riverfort Carpenters. On her cue, the back grate was pulled up, and three figures in blue jumpsuits stepped out from within.
?Morning.? Mokou gave Koishi a quick wave as she stepped out of the van. She carried a roll of carpet beneath one arm to give the illusion of actually working. Behind her, Sakuya and Youmu were chattering like schoolgirls.
?I told you, I?m not doing it again,? Youmu said. ?Once was bad enough, alright??
Sakuya prodded her sister?s shoulder. ?All I?m asking is that you act more like a woman. I?m still wrapping my head around the whole ?sister? thing, and your habit of dressing as a man is getting me confused.?
Youmu began to blush. ?It?s embarrassing! I feel so vulnerable in a skir-? She was stopped mid-sentence when she walked into Mokou?s back. ?Oof!?
Koishi craned her head around to see the swordsman. ?Youmu-san? I thought you were busy today.?
Youmu stepped out from behind Mokou, rubbing at her nose and pulling her cap down over her face. ?Mother is away for a few days. She?s meeting the shareholders to explain her absence. She?s been looking a lot brighter recently, so hopefully she?ll maintain their trust.?
As the conversation drifted to Yuyuko, Komachi noticed Sakuya?s eyes growing distant, like she?d mentally stepped out of the conversation. She gave the maid a little nudge to restore her focus.
?You guys know your side of the operation, right?? Koishi asked.
?You betcha,? Mokou answered.
?We?re to watch out for any questionable goings on in the Institute,? Sakuya said.
?And if the Claw catches on, it?s our duty to make sure no-one gets hurt,? Youmu chimed in.
Koishi nodded along in acceptance. ?Alright, I?m counting on you three. Let me know if anything comes up.?
The three Sirens nodded back, doing their best to look official as they stepped towards the Institute. They had all the paperwork to prove they were there for a carpeting job. Whether or not anyone in the Institute had actually
wanted a carpeting job was a matter of little concern, as long as no-one asked too many questions.
Komachi gave Koishi a pat on the back. ?You handled that pretty well.?
?Eh?? Koishi looked up at her, puzzled.
?Just sayin? that I didn?t think of you as the sort to lead when I met ya.?
Koishi smiled weakly as she brushed away Komachi?s hand. ?Well, there?s a lot riding on me being a good leader. I can?t let all those people down, can I??
She acted humble, but there was a grain of pride in her smile. Komachi wondered what sort of woman Koishi would become with a few more years of growth.
?So are we going, or what?? Sango asked, rubbing at her stomach. ?There?s a grilled mackerel with my name on it.?
?Sango-san, it?s eleven,? Koishi replied. ?We?ll be half an hour early if we show up now.?
?I can eat two helpings. What?s your point??
Komachi felt a smirk rise to her face. Their banter these two shared made her feel a few years younger than she really was. And as gluttonous as she was being about it, Sango had a point. It was worth showing up early, just in case-
?Ah.?
Komachi never finished that thought. Her eyes happened to stop on someone walking down the other side of the road, passing one broken-down shrine after another. She recognised that crimson suit, that perfectly-preened brown hair, and that casual gait that seemed out of place alongside both of them.
Reimu Hakurei. Morichika?s defense attorney.Hakurei was a source Komachi had been trying to get her hands on for weeks, but she?d been unusually hard to find. She was rarely at her place of residence, and even when she was around she made a point of not answering calls.
?...Hey. You two go on ahead.?
Komachi let Hakurei walk on for a bit before she started to follow her. She kept to the other side of the road, hoping that Reimu wouldn?t remember her face.
?Komachi-san? Where are you going?? Koishi asked.
She shouldn?t have followed. Sumire told her to step away from the case for some clarity. But right now she didn?t give a damn what Sumire thought. This chance wasn?t going to come up again.
?I?ve got business. You two can deal with the kid, right??
Koishi looked ready to complain, but she caught the glint of determination in Komachi?s eyes. She gave up on resisting soon afterwards.
?Well, if it?s that important to you, Sango-san and I will be fine on our own.?
?Here?s hopin?.? Komachi gave her another pat on the back. ?Knock her dead for me, alright??
Koishi returned a weak nod. Sango began tugging at her arm in the direction of Lorelei?s, and Koishi let the dolphin pull her along. Komachi turned the other direction, towards the slowly-shrinking figure of Reimu Hakurei.
You never struck me as the pious sort. What are you doing out here?Reimu was surprisingly easy to follow. The woman made no attempt to look backwards. In fact, she was barely paying attention to what was in
front of her. She sauntered down the street without a care, barely avoiding a collision with a passerby on more than one occasion.
Komachi let herself relax, simply matching Reimu?s pace from a safe distance. The attorney cut a straight path down the street. Now and then she?d look at a broken-down shrine and let out a sigh so loud that Komachi could hear it from almost a block away. Many of the smaller institutions had come apart in the last few years, for reasons Komachi had never bothered to read up on.
At last Reimu turned to the side, walking up a staircase hidden between two of the fallen shrines. It ran up the length of a small hill, and Reimu?s steps echoed through the block as she climbed upwards. Komachi gave her more distance just in case, before following behind her with the quietest steps she could manage.
It took her two minutes to climb the staircase, and she had to lean on the shrine?s
torii gate for support. At the top of the hill was the largest shrine of them all, though it was still no larger than an ordinary household. Maybe at some point the smaller shrines had been built around it; now it was a shadow of its former self, with the roof caving in and the walls looking brittle. As Komachi stepped through the courtyard she worried her footsteps would be heavy enough to bring the whole shrine down.
In spite of the disrepair, it wasn?t abandoned. Komachi noted the orderly piles of leaves on both sides of the courtyard. This place had been tended to recently. Reimu herself was nowhere to be seen, though the front door of the shrine hung slightly ajar. A donation box sat in front of the door. Peering down into it Komachi saw nothing more valuable than a 50-yen coin, and even that was gathering dust.
Must be hard to make a living like that.Still, why would Reimu come all the way out here? Maybe she had affairs with the local shrine maiden. Unable to contain her curiosity, Komachi cautiously pulled the door open and let herself in.
She found Reimu?s shoes at the door, with her suit lying on the floor a few paces further in. Her pants lay a few steps further again, as if Reimu had been undressing herself as she went. Komachi was suddenly much less comfortable with her intrusion. She was about to step out when the voice echoed from across the hall.
?Come in, Komachi-san.?
So she
had been paying attention. Komachi sighed. She could hardly leave now. After taking her shoes off she stepped into the shrine properly, tip-toeing around the fallen clothes as she followed the voice. It led her to a small sitting room, with a kotatsu barely large enough for two people.
Already seated at the kotatsu was Reimu Hakurei. She had changed into the garb of a shrine maiden, mostly a bright red with white sleeves detached from the rest of the outfit. She was sipping at a cup of green tea, with another sitting on the other side of the table. She looked up at Komachi, beckoning her to sit down with one hand. Komachi complied, the floor creaking with a painful whine.
?You were the last person I expected to find me,? Reimu said. She seemed like another woman now, Komachi thought to herself. There was a calmness, a solemnity that she?d never had before. It almost made Komachi forget about Reimu?s questionable reputation.
Almost, but not entirely.
?I?ve gotta admit, it?s pretty clever,? Komachi said as she picked up her own cup. She wasn?t a big fan of green tea, but she could force it down. ?I?d never think you?d use some old shrine as a hideaway.?
?It?s not a hideaway. I live here. I just keep it to myself because my clients might find me too eccentric.?
Komachi almost spilled her drink down her chest. Reimu?s face didn?t shift in the slightest. Either she was the best liar Komachi had ever met, or she actually was telling the truth. The girl had seemed awfully straightforward up until now, so Komachi doubted it was the former.
?A defense attorney...and a shrine maiden? That?s a strange set of jobs to be juggling.?
?I didn?t have much say in it.? Reimu?s voice held a faint trace of scorn. ?My family were very insistent that I make something of myself outside of the faith. Law was the most obvious option, I guess.?
Komachi rolled her eyes. ?I?m not much of a believer, but I don?t think the Shinto faith approves of getting criminals out of their convictions.?
The accusation flew straight over Reimu?s head. She finished her tea, placing the cup on the kotatsu with a sigh.
?Komachi-san, how much do you think it costs to maintain a shrine of this size??
The question came out of nowhere. Komachi thought for a moment, but before she could answer Reimu continued.
?The Hakurei Shrine has been passed from generation to generation for the last three-hundred years. Sadly, it wasn?t built to survive that long, and as you?ve probably noticed the place is starting to come apart. The repairs are costly, and the rent keeps getting higher. That?s thanks to the local councils pushing for it to be declared a ?cultural heritage? - which means they?re going to kick me out of the home my family?s owned for centuries.?
She wasn?t angry - at least, she didn?t sound angry. It was hard to make out any sort of emotion at all from Reimu. Perhaps her anger on the matter was already spent.
?If we?d been getting the usual stream of donations, things would be easier. But I?m assuming you saw the donation box on the way in. Ever since the Myouren Institute came into the public eye, the flow of power has gradually shifted from us to them. There used to be dozens of active shrines in this area, each praying to their own native god. Now the Hakurei Shrine is all that?s left.?
Was this meant to be a sob story? If so, Komachi was unimpressed. She left her tea on the kotatsu, unfinished.
?I?m missin? something here. You needed money, I get that much. But why does that mean you have to work with assholes by default??
Reimu snorted. Maybe she was forcing back a laugh, or maybe she was concealing her disdain. It was hard to tell.
?Plenty of reasons. One, they?re returning customers. These folks get in trouble more often than your average do-gooder. That means more work for me, and they?re usually willing to pay extra if I make the most of my skills. Two...? Now Reimu let a frown slide onto her face. ?Well, I have a very specific skill set.?
?And what?s that?? Komachi wasn?t sure why she asked. She already knew what Reimu?s specialty was.
?Well, when it came to law school, I wasn?t the most...studious of applicants. I scraped out of the bar exam by the skin of my teeth, and I?m honestly not the best when it comes to a coherent case. What I
could do, though, was find the loopholes and get-out clauses in legislation. It?s not the nicest job, but it pays better than the alternatives.? She looked up at a hole in the roof where the tiling was starting to come apart. ?And right now, good pay overrides everything else.?
Komachi was torn. She couldn?t condone Reimu?s actions, but in a way she could sort of understand. This shrine had been everything to her family, and she was holding onto it in the only way she could.
Komachi remembered another woman who had gone against the law for the sake of what was important to her. She almost cringed at the irony.
?So, once again, I don?t have a choice in it,? Reimu said. She stared down into the empty cup in front of her. ?I?d like to be the good guy, but when good doesn?t pay well enough you have to go with what you can get, don?t you??
There was silence for almost a minute. Reimu didn?t look up, and Komachi didn?t look away. Eventually it was the shrine maiden who broke the silence.
?Now what do you want? I assume you came here for a reason beyond listening to my life story. Looking to sell me out to a gossip rag, perhaps??
Komachi wasn?t sure what to say. She?d been planning to grill Reimu on Morichika, in the most aggressive manner she could think of. Now she?d seen some context, going for an all-out assault seemed almost too much.
But that didn?t mean she was going to give up.
?Reimu-san, I need you to tell me everything you know about Rinnosuke Morichika.?
Reimu blinked. ?Really? You?re asking me to sell out one of my own clients?? She shook her head. ?I?m sorry, but I can?t help you. Secrecy is something my employers value highly. If they find out I?ve started playing fair, my business is going to dry up.?
?I don?t have to say I got it from you.? Komachi thought of the heaving pile of paperwork sitting back in her office. ?I?ve already got a dozen leads to work on, but I need someone to point out where to go. I can put you down as a protected source - with the rest of the case as strong as it is, we?ll probably get away with it.?
The shrine maiden didn?t answer. She traced along the tip of her cup with one finger as she looked to the side. Komachi could almost see the two possibilities bouncing about in her eyes. She had to push harder.
?Look, Reimu-san. You knew I was following you here, but you didn?t even try to lose me. If you really weren?t willing to help me you?d have at least tried to cover your tracks.?
Reimu gasped. It was the largest display of emotion she?d shown so far.
?I?m guessing you?re scared,? Komachi continued. ?If anyone found out about this, you wouldn?t just lose business; hell, I?m willing to bet there?d be people willing to kill you off in case you spill their secrets. I understand that. Of course it?s scary.?
Komachi slammed a fist into the kotatsu, shaking the cup at her side. ?But I?m giving you a chance here. You kept on saying that you never had a choice in anything. I?m giving you the choice right now. You can keep on doing what the men with money tell you to do, or you can go to bed tonight knowing that for the first time in years you chose to do the right thing.?
Reimu bit her lip. She tapped her fingers against the kotatsu, taking deep breaths as she weighed up the options in her mind. Komachi could only watch her think. She?d made her point.
Finally, the shrine maiden rose to her feet with a sigh.
?If this guy wasn?t the meanest son of a bitch I?ve ever met, I?d be shoving you out the door right now. Let me get you a pen and paper.?
Komachi felt the unease seep out of her system. She picked up her cup again, finishing what was left of her tea. It was bitter as hell, but as she swallowed the last drop she couldn?t help but feel like the victor.
?You might wanna get a few sheets while you?re at it. I get the feeling you?ve got a lot to tell me.?
