On Astral Tides: From Humble Freelancer To Astral Emperor

The minute homeroom was over, her friends rushed over to her desk, concern writ on their faces. Mio-chan and Asami-chan were followed over by several other girls curiously.

“So, are you all right, Kana-chan?” Mio-chan asked. “There was a fire up on the hill near your shrine last night, right? There were fire engines and everything…”

“Yeah, I hope it wasn’t your shrine.” Asami-chan chimed in. “it would be horrible if your home burnt down. There’s too much bad luck going around the shrines at the moment.” Her glance went to the empty seat where Kikuchi-san usually sat. She’s still not back. I keep my ears open at home, so I’ve heard Akio-kun discussing it… it looks like something bad happened at her shrine, just like it nearly did to ours… she shivered then, memories of last night coming back to her, making her feel sick. Sweat was beading her brow, and the dark rings under her eyes couldn’t fully be covered by make-up. I must look awful. I hate that. I’ve always got to be pretty. After all, if I’m not beautiful, what worth do I have?

She couldn’t help dwelling on what Shaeula and Mori-san had said to her. It’s annoying. I don’t need them to tell me what to do… Forcing a smile as close to her usual as she could manage, she reassured her friends. “Yeah, it wasn’t our shrine that caught fire, just the new construction site. There was some damage, but big bro will pay for it…”

“Still calling him Big bro, huh?” Mio-chan leaned in, grinning. “You’ve mentioned him before right? He’s investing a lot in your shrine. Maybe he likes you. It wouldn’t be the first time that an older guy gets in with the parents of a girl, flashes the cash and then suggests an engagement to tie the families together. It’s kind of romantic, I think. What do you say Asami-chan?”

“Well, older men do really like you, Kana-chan.” Asami-chan giggled,  relieved that the fire hadn’t caused too much damage. “So maybe she’s right. Do you think it could be that? I can’t imagine you getting married so soon. But more importantly, you said he was rich, and I remember he was pretty hot in the photo you showed us. Is he into you? I can’t blame him if he is.”

“A photo? Cool, I want to see!” a classmate said, and several others who Kana had scarce dealings with had echoed her.

This line of questioning is annoying. I can’t believe I slipped and called him big bro at school… but is he hot? The figure of Akio-kun as he stormed in to save them, blood leaking from many wounds, the sheer fury he displayed at the yakuza who were trying to hurt her… at that moment, when I’d abandoned all hope… damn, I knew I shouldn’t have come to school today, I think I’m coming down with a fever. She had wanted to skip the day entirely, and it would have been justified after the horrible experience she had been through, but little Marika-chan, the serious little cutie, despite being even more scared and shaken up, she had insisted on attending her new school. So what could I do? I’d have looked really lame not going when Marika-chan managed…

“She’s clammed up. Really suspicious!” Mio-chan smirked.

“And look how red she is! I bet she’s thinking about this big bro right now! Maybe there is something going on after all, right, right? Denials are sus-pic-ious!”

Asami-chan was nodding annoyingly, and it snapped Kana out of her thoughts. Rubbing at her face she snapped. “I’m not blushing. I’m not! It was a really tiring night last night, so maybe I’m just feeling a bit sick. I think I should go to the nurses office…”

“Before that, you didn’t answer my question.” Asami-chan continued. “So, is he into you? I’m curious. He bought you that hairclip too, if I remember right. It’s a bit… forward… for just a souvenir if you ask me.”

Of course you remember. Stop trying to fish for information. Still… “Big bro… err, Akio-kun, he is handsome and strong. But…” The way he beat down those yakuza who were lusting over me. I only wish he’d have hurt them more…

“Oh, first name basis, huh?” one other girl said, and a ripple of laughter spread around the classroom. Now only the shiest or most disinterested girls weren’t crowded around her desk.

“It doesn’t matter.” She said acerbically. Somehow this line of questioning is super annoying. “He has a fiancée anyway. In fact, he has two! So what you are thinking won’t happen, okay!” Just thinking about Mori-san pisses me off. And when I think of Shaeula… I do like her, but… I get a prickly feeling in my chest. I don’t like it. I’m Izumi Kana, most beautiful girl in school and this whole suburb! I’m not jealous of her, not at all!

“No way, two fiancées? You must be lying.” A girl snorted. “This isn’t the pre-war era with concubines. If you don’t want to be honest I think it’s definitely suspicious. Maybe there is something going on. To think Izumi-san would fall for a man…”

It isn’t like that! It isn’t! I want a guy who can dedicate everything to me and me alone. I will admit, he is pretty cool though. Shaeula and Mori-san will never be short of money, and if anyone threatened them… she felt her face going hot again, imagining Akio-kun defeating hordes of thugs who offended his girls…

“She’s turning bright red again, how adorable.” Yet another girl snickered.

I am not! Seriously, I am supposed to be the one making the jokes, not the butt of them! “Ugh, fine. Here.” She pulled out her phone and scrolled through her pictures, finding one that had Akio-kun, Shaeula and Mori-san all in shot. Shaeula sends so many photographs. Luckily she took some at that restaurant the other night.

“Here. I’ll put this to rest. Those two are his fiancées. So he isn’t interested in me.”

“Seriously, they are gorgeous…” Mio-chan whistled. “And two of them, just like you said…”

“But… how can he get away with that? It’s obvious they both know about each other. I don’t get it…” Asami-chan was puzzled.

“It’s… complicated.” Kana muttered sourly. “But both of them are good friends and head-over-heels for Akio-kun, so… they came to an agreement to share him. How they’ll work out which is the legal wife isn’t any of my business. I hope it’s Shaeula though…” she said quietly at the end.

“Well, doesn’t that mean this guy is polygamous?” one girl piped up. “So Izumi-san, him having two fiancées, maybe he thinks you’ll be his third?”

Ugh, I wouldn’t be surprised if he does end up with more women, Shaeula is really pushy that way, and it would serve Mori-san right, but… no, I’m not considering it. I’ve always had my own dream relationship plan…

“This is all very well.” One of the reticent girls spoke up from her desk. “I get why you might find this kind of talk fun, but… I heard that the police were all over Shirohebizumi shrine last night, and ambulances were pulling away non-stop…”

“Yeah, I heard that too, but I thought it was just rumours about the fire getting out of hand?” another girl piped up.

Ugh, I don’t want to think about last night again. Still… “I don’t know what you heard but… yeah, there was some trouble. A gang of yakuza were the ones that set the fires. It got a bit scary…” Kana was trembling a little, causing her two friends to hold her hands.

“I’m so glad you are all right.” Mio-chan said, and Asami-chan nodded. “If you don’t want to talk about it…”

“It’s fine. Might as well clear the rumours up.” Kana came up with a convincing story. “I think they might have got wind of the land deal and were tyring to pressure my parents to sell up to them. Tokyo land is worth a ton, right?”

“Makes sense.” One girl agreed. “I’ve seen TV shows where yakuza do similar stuff. So, how did you get out of it?”

“Big bro… he… well he saved us. There was a mob of them that broke into the shrine. They hit my parents, and…”

“Oh my god, are they all right?” Asami-chan asked, and she nodded.

“Yeah, just bruises and a bit shaken up. Still, being beautiful… is a curse.” She swallowed, unwilling to remember the moment when she had thought her future was to be a toy of the yakuza, all her dreams smashed to dust. Still, amidst the gloom and trauma was the bright spark that at least she had stood up for Marika-chan. Maybe… maybe I can be a little proud of that.

“Surely they didn’t… no way…” horror was in the eyes of her friends so she gripped their hands tight, shaking her head furiously, a small, weak smile on her face.

“No, though they wanted to. They said they’d hurt my parents unless… unless I agreed to be their woman.” She shuddered. “What could I do? There was a whole gang of them, and they had bats, and knives…” best not mention the gun.

“So, how did you get out of that?” one girl asked, eyes bright. Kana found it a bit annoying she was excited over her pain, but put that aside.

“Big bro… he burst in like some sort of superhero…” I can’t get that image out of my mind.

The door to the shrine exploded inwards, ripped off its hinges, and big bro surged in, immediately pouncing on the yakuza, heavy blows beating them down mercilessly. He looked awful, half-dead, blood streaming down his face, leaking from bullet-wounds, knife-holes and more but all I could see was his smile, telling me everything was going to be all right, and his words, just what I wanted to hear…. “Just hold on a second. I’ll handle this.”

For a moment she relieved the memory, heart jumping, before she pushed it down. It’s just the suspension bridge effect. We studied it in class. In terrible situations, one can mistake fear for love. That’s all it is. I’m grateful, but seriously, the whole thing was pretty much his fault to begin with… although, that isn’t fair… he took injuries for us, for me…

“No way, this Akio-kun fought off the yakuza?” Mio-chan was enchanted by the tale, sounding like something out of a manga.

“Fought off? No, he pulverised them. He got really pissed off when he saw I was in danger.” Might as well get a brag in to raise my status, I’ve let my mask slip a bit too much today. “He knocked them all out, one by one. He had to go to the police station to answer a few questions though. He did beat them pretty badly…”

“That is such a romantic story.” Asami-chan clutched her own reddening cheeks. “A hero riding to your rescue in your hour of need. That stuff just doesn’t happen in real life!”

“Living through it, it wasn’t as fun or romantic as you make out. It was horrible, so terrifying. Still, it’s over now.”

“In that case…” Mio-chan and Asami-chan exchanged meaningful glances. “… there’s no choice. We are coming to visit soon, Kana-chan. We have to see this guy who has captured your heart with our own eyes. If he’s just a womaniser we’ll set him straight!”

“That’s right! We need to check he’s good enough for you Kana-chan!”

In shock, her eyes opened wide with surprise. How the hell did anything I say give you the idea I have the hots for Akio-kun? I’m sure I said I wasn’t interested and already had two girls…

********

Well, my day was quite the trial. Kana-chan dragged her feel listlessly up the path towards the shrine, having been hounded all day by the girls in her class, wanting more details about the yakuza attack and Akio-kun. Over lunch they had found internet articles on it already, including a statement from the police. When the numbers involved were mentioned, the situation had become even more chaotic.

I had to promise to let my friends come over on Sunday… I don’t really want them meeting Akio-kun though… what do I do?

“Oh, good evening, Izumi-chan.” She looked up to see that Akio-kun’s secretary, Watanabe-san was there, dressed in her usual shirt, skirt and jacket, looking exhausted. I guess there was trouble caused for you as well… “I was shocked to hear about last night.” She continued, her expression sympathetic. “It must have been horrible. If you need to talk about anything, I’m here for you. Sometimes someone who isn’t family is easier to talk to.”

“I appreciate it, Watanabe-san. But… luckily I was saved before anything bad could happen.”

“Just call me Karen, okay? I do work on your property, so it seems so silly being formal.”

“Call me Kana then, Karen-san.” She replied, earning a smile. “And if you need to talk about anything, like how hard your job is… feel free!”

“Yeah, when I got a text in the middle of the night saying I would need to draw out funds to replace materials and machinery damaged during an arson attack… I wasn’t sure if it was a joke to start with.” She admitted. “Luckily the damage wasn’t too extensive, and while the machines are being repaired we could easily borrow some more. It won’t set our deadlines back by much more than a day or so. Still, to think it was a yakuza attack. Crazy…”

I spent a little while talking to Karen-san, before she mentioned she had a text from Akio-kun and was due to meet him later tonight for some important overtime.

“So, he’s out of prison then?” I asked, and Karen-san laughed.

“He was never in prison, just helping the police. But yes, he’s out, and making more work for me. Still, he’s treating me to dinner, so I guess it’s not all bad.”

“Just watch yourself, okay.” I joked, relieved that big bro wasn’t in trouble. “He’s got a bad habit of going for pretty women.”

At that she looked confused. “He has a fiancée though, right? Mori Eri-san, I believe? His childhood friend.”

She doesn’t know about Shaeula then? Interesting… Feeling the urge to get some payback, Kana slyly prodded at her. “Yes, that’s true. But… why not ask Shaeula about her new ring, you might have seen it. She might tell you an interesting story.”

After that they parted, and she was feeling better, having pulled a small prank on big bro.

Once inside the shrine, she noticed that the damage had been repaired, no doubt a rush job sorted out by Karen-san. “I’m home!” she called, and Marika-chan came out to greet her, her red backpack still over her shoulders.

“Oh, Izumi-san, welcome home!” Marika-chan bowed properly, causing Kana to pout, annoyed.

“I told you to call me Kana. After all, aren’t we close now? Especially after last night?” at that her voice softened. “And how are you holding up? You didn’t have to go to school today, no-one would have blamed you.”

“I am fine.” Marika-san promised, though she still looked pale. “I should not miss school, after all, I am new there. I promised mother, father and grandfather I would do my best here, for myself and for the glory of Chairo-sama, the kami of our shrine.”

“You really are a very polite speaker. So old-fashioned. It’s cute, I guess…” Kana allowed. “Anyway, if you want to talk about it…” she echoed the offer Karen-san had given her. “… I’m here for you.”

“No… no.” she shook her head. “It was awful, but Akio-sama proved able to defend us, even from such terrible troubles. I am reassured.”

Yeah, you may say that, and even think that, but I can see the little trembles that show you are still not over it. “Well, it’s a bit early for dinner yet. I know, why don’t we go and play with Shaeula? She should be out the back, right?”

Before Marika-chan could protest Kana grabbed her hand and led her to the building her big bro and Shaeula had moved into. It had also been repaired during the course of the day, causing her to sigh at the amount of money they were wasting. I wish they’d spend it on me… still, I can understand wanting to erase any traces of what happened last night…

“Hey, Shaeula, are you here?” she called, and moments later an answer came from the back.

“Kana, is that you? I am indeed here. I thought I would take-take a break after a hard night.”

Hard? You weren’t even awake for the yakuza. Taking off her shoes, Marika-chan following suit, they went inside, to Shaeula’s room, to find her playing video games on her television, while a laptop was open, and she was using it with her other hand. Wait, is that…?

“I thought gambling was illegal? Plus isn’t it a waste of money?”

Shaeula shrugged, eyes still on her game as she played one-handed. “It is of little moment. We harm none-none using this… a VPN, I believe Akio called it? As for a waste…” she smirked. “Feel free to watch.”

She was running six different sites at once, all under big bro’s name, and her winning ratio… uh, she must be cheating somehow. That REALLY can’t be legal. She wins most spins… seeing money piling up in all six accounts Kana sat down on the bed, envious of her winnings. Beside her Marika-chan perched on a chair, silently.

“I am very lucky indeed.” Shaeula crowed. “And I have earned some relaxation, my battles last night were quite-quite the ordeal.” Her amber gaze turned serious. “Kana, Marika. My apologies I was not-not there to protect you. Still, Akio will crush any that threaten those he loves. So fear not-not, this will not-not happen again.”

Loves? That’s a bold way of putting it… no, she’s just being Shaeula. I should put her nonsense aside.

“Still, we have punished the miscreant who sent-sent those thugs to menace you. He will be unable to threaten us any further.”

“You have?” Marika-chan asked suddenly. “But how?”

“It was a rival, one who seeks to destroy all who would take ownership of the Boundary, the spiritual realm. Last night we ventured to his domain, and we dealt him a crushing-crushing blow.” She sighed. “Even had we not-not been here, eventually trouble would have found you, just as it did Hisuikomushi shrine.”

That’s Kikuchi-san’s place. I head heard a little of their talk about trouble there… “So, I have a classmate who is a shrine maiden at Hisuikomushi, her father was in a coma and she hasn’t been coming to school.”

Marika-chan was extremely interested in these shrine matters, her eyes gleaming with curiosity. She waited for Shaeula’s response.

“Indeed, we rescued her father from the slavery he had been-been subjected to by the fiend who opposed us and sent those rough fellows. Alas, he has disappeared since. Most-most ungrateful, he should repay the grace Akio has shown him.” At that Shaeula let out a little exclamation. “Kana, do you think you could find a way-way to contact his daughter, your classmate? At the least, the priest should return the favour he has-has been given.”

I’m not close to Kikuchi-san, her ‘woe-is-me’ routine is so annoying. But… I could ask some of our classmates, one must have her phone number, right? “Yeah, I can maybe get in touch with her tomorrow.”

“Excellent.” Shaeula approved. “In any case, since you are here, would you care-care to play, or watch some anime? I can find some-some treats as well.”

Why are we here? I came to cheer up Marika-chan, take her mind off the events of last night, but… “Actually, there was one thing. Shaeula, if you were in my position last night, attacked by thugs, what would you have done?”

“I would have taught them the error of their ways, that a princess of the Seelie Court should not-not be trifled with.”

“I thought so. What about Mori-san?”

Shaeula raised one eyebrow in surprise, before bursting out into cackling laughter. “I see, I see. So it is like that, is it indeed-indeed?”

I think you seem to be misunderstanding something. I just don’t want her looking down on me anymore, and I don’t want to feel so scared again, so helpless…

“Eri… well, she would struggle still, yet she trains fiercely. Even though Akio wishes to coddle her, she is training alone back-back in Nishimorioka. Perhaps when next you see her, a few thugs shall be nothing to her-her at all.”

I thought so. “Shaeula, can I ask a favour?”

“Of course, you are my friend, Kana.” Shaeula agreed.

“Please, I want to start spiritual training now! I don’t want to wait for everyone else. I want… I want the power to protect myself and my family.” I get what big bro said, back when we first met. There are evil people around, and if they have power… only power counters power. It’ll be hard work, which I hate, but… her mind went back to the yakuza leering at her, and the feeling of helplessness and acceptance as she thought she was being taken away to be their playthings. “I don’t want to be scared anymore. And I’m not ungrateful. I don’t really know what you mean by taking out this rival in the spiritual realm, but I can help you. I have a gift, remember, a bloodline full of talent. I can be as good as Mori-san, no, better!”

Before Shaeula could answer, Marika-chan bowed low. “Please, I would like to learn too. I have come to Tokyo to aid you both, as support from Chairo-sama. If it is an inconvenience then I apologise and will wait, but… I agree with Kana-san, I do not wish to be frightened either. I believe in Akio-sama, and you yourself, Shaeula-sama. But even so…” she trailed off, too young to fully articulate what she wished.

“I have told you to drop-drop the -sama I believe. It does not-not please me. Still…” Shaeula saved her game, did her last spins on roulette and closed everything down. “… I do applaud your resolve. Become finer females, and you might just-just be worthy of Akio’s regard. I have some time until I am due-due to meet Akio later, to finalise our triumph. Until then, I can-can assist you both.” She paused. “Be warned though, there may be some pain involved.”

I hate pain even more than hard work. But… my mind is made up. Still, I’m NOT doing it to get his regard, whatever that is… I’m doing it for me!

“I shall endure it.” Marika-chan promised, her small face resolute, which was adorable. Kana pulled her into a hug, surprising her.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure Shaeula will keep it as kind as she can, right? So, we might as well get started…” swallowing down her fears, she watched as Shaeula’s eyes began to glow fiercely, amber light illuminating the room…