Yokai by Dave Ferraro Page A

she was one
of the creepiest.”
    Madame Mori raised an eyebrow and he
looked away before continuing. “Anyway, she asked me ‘Do you still
find me beautiful?’ I knew from what I’d read that there was no
right answer. If I’d said no from the beginning, she would have
slit my mouth to match hers. If I said no or tried to run after
being asked the second time, she would do the same.”
    “ So you bought yourself
some time,” Yumiko said, finishing for him. “You said yes again,
knowing full well that she would let you walk away, but would come
for you when you fell asleep tonight, and would cut you in
two.”
    Shou nodded. “I’d heard of Madame
Mori, and as soon as I left the yokai behind, I came here for help.
You’re my only way out of this.”
    Madame Mori considered him for a
moment as she sipped her tea. “Very well.” She glanced at Yumiko.
“He is definitely marked?”
    Yumiko glanced at the green thread
that seemed to stick out from the center of his back, and followed
it up to the wall beside the sliding door, where it disappeared.
“Yes.”
    Mori tapped her cup with her pinkie,
as if thinking.
    Yumiko took a moment to examine Shou,
who seemed calmer than someone who was marked for death should be.
He almost seemed…excited. Most people who came to Madame Mori were
pale, sweat breaking out over their forehead, or at the very least,
their hands trembled when they accepted their teacup. Shou was the
picture of calm, awaiting Mori’s reply to his entreaty patiently,
confidently. He knew that she wouldn’t turn him away, and he was
looking forward to seeing how it played out.
    “ You are very clever, Mr.
Fujiwara,” Yumiko complimented him carefully. “Most people wouldn’t
have kept a cool head when confronted with such a grisly yokai,
even if they knew how to respond.”
    “ I was just so…shocked to
see that she was real,” Shou said, his eyes lighting up. “She
was…amazing.”
    “ Be careful, Mr. Fujiwara,”
Mori spoke up. “You’re stupid if you’re not afraid for your life
right now.”
    Shou ducked his head into a bow. “My
apologies, Madame Mori. I meant no disrespect.”
    Mori’s eyes snapped to Yumiko’s. “I
think my apprentice can handle this.”
    Shou stiffened and sat up straight.
“Your apprentice?” He glanced at Yumiko briefly. “You don’t think
you should-“
    “ This is a cut-and-dry
case,” Mori interrupted him. “You will stay in a room together in
the hotel and when you fall asleep, Miss Sato will take care of the
yokai before any harm comes to you.”
    Shou pressed his lips together, and
seemed to be debating some retort, but instead, he wisely bowed his
head. “Thank you.”
    Madame Mori nodded, then turned to
Yumiko with a discreet wink. “Please see to his safety, Miss Sato.
And collect payment when the job is done.”
    “ Yes, sensei,” Yumiko
agreed, bowing as Mori stood.
    Without another word, Madame Mori left
them, and Shou sat up straight, watching the door for a moment
before turning his head to regard Yumiko.
    “ I hope you’re good at what
you do,” he told her. “I’m rather fond of my face.”
    “ I’m sure that you are,”
Yumiko replied boldly, then stood. “And I’m the best there is at
what I do, Mr. Fujiwara. You have nothing to worry
about.”
    He didn’t look very convinced, but
nodded and stood as well. “Okay. Show me the way.”
    Yumiko led him out of Mori’s library
and through the sake bar, entering the love hotel for the second
time that evening. She had nearly protested when Madame Mori had
mentioned the love hotel, but there were few options. She certainly
wasn’t about to suggest that she go to Shou’s house. That seemed a
worse option than the love hotel. And she wasn’t about to allow him
into her own room either.
    Yumiko stopped before the reception
desk, hesitating before tapping the bell. She glanced up at the
rooms, the available ones were illuminated, while those currently
in use were darkened.