lodgings shouldn’t be too taxing.
Mingling with the other passengers going ashore, they entered the city and turned down the main thoroughfare where the inns should be located.
Shushou felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around to find a smiling middle-aged man with a round face looking down at her. “Miss, that’s a moukyoku, isn’t it?”
Shushou had heard the question plenty of times on her journey. She clearly wasn’t alone in her love of kijuu.
“That’s right.”
The man crouched down and petted the white fur with soft, childlike hands. “A splendid kijuu and very well trained. What nice eyes. He sure looks well taken care of.” The man smiled and scratched Hakuto behind the ears. He looked up at Shushou and said, “This is the first time I’ve seen such a splendid moukyoku. It is yours?”
“No. This is my master’s kijuu.”
The man eyed Shushou’s worn kimono, grinned and nodded. “Really? I suppose so. Are you responsible for his care, or would that be your master?”
“My master prizes him very highly, just as I care for him a great deal.”
“Of course, of course.” The man bobbed his head as he got to his feet. “What a fine master you must have. He who cares for his kijuu cares for his servants no less.”
“I wouldn’t say that was always true.” Shushou glanced up at him. “I need to find an inn.”
“What, are you in the midst of a journey?”
“I am. Do you live in this town? Perhaps you could direct me to an inn with good stables?
“I don’t know about what makes stables good or not, but I am familiar with an inn where kijuu owners like to congregate. Shall I show you the way?”
“You needn’t go to such lengths. Directions would be fine.”
“No problem. Just once I’d like to hold the reins of a kijuu. In exchange for me showing you the way, how about you let me lead the kijuu?”
“Sorry, but I couldn’t do that. I’d catch a scolding if my master found out I’d let his moukyoku be handled by anybody else.”
“That’s too bad,” the man said in a regretful tone. But he smiled. “You are a cautious young lady. Whoever entrusted that kijuu to you, though, most definitely is not.”
The man’s face split into a broad grin. He grabbed Shushou by the arm.
“Hey—!”
What are you doing, she was about to say, when the man shouted, “Thief!”
“What?”
Shushou looked up at him in amazement. People passing by paused and turned their attention to him.
“This is my kijuu! Give it back, you stupid little kid!”
For a moment, Shushou gaped at the man’s round face, struck dumb by the sudden transformation.
“What’s going on?” somebody in the growing crowd asked.
“This brat stole my kijuu!” he spit out. “Unbelievable, kids these days! Can’t take your eyes off them for a second!”
The man wrenched Shushou’s arm, prompting a yelp of pain. “No!” she managed to blurt out, though she couldn’t be sure that she’d made herself heard.
“Hold on a minute,” came a woman’s voice from the crowd. “That kijuu belongs to the girl. We were both on the boat coming over.”
“Yeah, she stole it from me in Rinken! I thought there was something fishy about the way she was hanging around my kijuu.”
“Well—”
“That’s not true!” Shushou raised her voice, but with her arm feeling like it was about to rip out of its socket, she couldn’t find the words to say anything more.
“What’s not true? Look! I’ve got the papers to prove it!” The man drew documents from his breast pocket and unfurled them for all to see. “This one proves the kijuu is mine. And this one says it was stolen. Both bear official seals!”
The wall of people surrounding them shifted their sympathetic gaze from Shushou to the man.
“Unbelievable,” the man hissed, giving Shushou’s arm another twist. “There are surely unsavory masterminds behind this all. There’s no way a kid like you would be put in charge of transporting a
Mingling with the other passengers going ashore, they entered the city and turned down the main thoroughfare where the inns should be located.
Shushou felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around to find a smiling middle-aged man with a round face looking down at her. “Miss, that’s a moukyoku, isn’t it?”
Shushou had heard the question plenty of times on her journey. She clearly wasn’t alone in her love of kijuu.
“That’s right.”
The man crouched down and petted the white fur with soft, childlike hands. “A splendid kijuu and very well trained. What nice eyes. He sure looks well taken care of.” The man smiled and scratched Hakuto behind the ears. He looked up at Shushou and said, “This is the first time I’ve seen such a splendid moukyoku. It is yours?”
“No. This is my master’s kijuu.”
The man eyed Shushou’s worn kimono, grinned and nodded. “Really? I suppose so. Are you responsible for his care, or would that be your master?”
“My master prizes him very highly, just as I care for him a great deal.”
“Of course, of course.” The man bobbed his head as he got to his feet. “What a fine master you must have. He who cares for his kijuu cares for his servants no less.”
“I wouldn’t say that was always true.” Shushou glanced up at him. “I need to find an inn.”
“What, are you in the midst of a journey?”
“I am. Do you live in this town? Perhaps you could direct me to an inn with good stables?
“I don’t know about what makes stables good or not, but I am familiar with an inn where kijuu owners like to congregate. Shall I show you the way?”
“You needn’t go to such lengths. Directions would be fine.”
“No problem. Just once I’d like to hold the reins of a kijuu. In exchange for me showing you the way, how about you let me lead the kijuu?”
“Sorry, but I couldn’t do that. I’d catch a scolding if my master found out I’d let his moukyoku be handled by anybody else.”
“That’s too bad,” the man said in a regretful tone. But he smiled. “You are a cautious young lady. Whoever entrusted that kijuu to you, though, most definitely is not.”
The man’s face split into a broad grin. He grabbed Shushou by the arm.
“Hey—!”
What are you doing, she was about to say, when the man shouted, “Thief!”
“What?”
Shushou looked up at him in amazement. People passing by paused and turned their attention to him.
“This is my kijuu! Give it back, you stupid little kid!”
For a moment, Shushou gaped at the man’s round face, struck dumb by the sudden transformation.
“What’s going on?” somebody in the growing crowd asked.
“This brat stole my kijuu!” he spit out. “Unbelievable, kids these days! Can’t take your eyes off them for a second!”
The man wrenched Shushou’s arm, prompting a yelp of pain. “No!” she managed to blurt out, though she couldn’t be sure that she’d made herself heard.
“Hold on a minute,” came a woman’s voice from the crowd. “That kijuu belongs to the girl. We were both on the boat coming over.”
“Yeah, she stole it from me in Rinken! I thought there was something fishy about the way she was hanging around my kijuu.”
“Well—”
“That’s not true!” Shushou raised her voice, but with her arm feeling like it was about to rip out of its socket, she couldn’t find the words to say anything more.
“What’s not true? Look! I’ve got the papers to prove it!” The man drew documents from his breast pocket and unfurled them for all to see. “This one proves the kijuu is mine. And this one says it was stolen. Both bear official seals!”
The wall of people surrounding them shifted their sympathetic gaze from Shushou to the man.
“Unbelievable,” the man hissed, giving Shushou’s arm another twist. “There are surely unsavory masterminds behind this all. There’s no way a kid like you would be put in charge of transporting a
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