Shinrabansho: Myriad Souls

“What?!” I sputtered. “That smell is her cooking? But her curry was heavenly! Why does it suddenly smell like a biohazard leak? Is she experimenting for fun?!”

Rui shook her head with a crooked smile. “Nope. Her curry is the exception. Everything else she cooks? Pure chaos. She’s probably making meals tailored for the vampire staff tonight, so… who knows what she’s throwing into those pots. But don’t worry… she usually doesn’t slip too many bizarre things into our food.”

“That’s what I was saying,” Akuchi added with a breathy laugh. “I forgot to mention it. Ume marched straight into the kitchen the moment we arrived. She knew the poor cook was about to drown. She’s… taken full control back there.”

“Blud Light, please!” a nearby vampire called cheerfully to one of the Akuchis.

That Akuchi tilted her head. “Oooh… I wonder if they carry that drink here.”

“Beer?” I blinked. “Are they planning to get drunk before the fight? I don’t think I would—”

“It’s not beer,” Rui cut in, amused. “It’s exactly what it sounds like. Blood. Low-platelet. Light flavor. A dieting vampire’s choice.”

“Ah.”

Nope. Still too much information.

Rui continued happily.

“It’s brewed somewhere in Tokyo. They also make ‘Blu Blud’ for high-class vampires. Even though Ume is about as high-class as vampires get, she doesn’t like that one as much, though.”

“Don’t forget Blud Type Zero!” a girl vampire chimed from the booth behind us. “Perfect when you’re counting calories.”

“Yep. Too much information,” I whimpered, lowering my menu like a shield. “Would this restaurant even have any of that in stock? That’d be insane.”

“I’ll check with Ume,” Akuchi said brightly, giving me a wave before gliding off to handle more orders. I pitied her deeply, but she volunteered, so… Kami help her.

Rui drummed her fingers against the table, then smiled. “Since our food will take a while, I’ll explain our plan.”

My spine straightened.

“You see,” she began, “Akuchi will be our bait. As originally decided. And honestly… it should work perfectly… Well, as long as we keep things tight. Instead of sneaking into the building, we’re having Akuchi call the culprit directly. If we lure him outside, we can gang up on him. That means fewer casualties. His capabilities are unknown but clearly occult in nature. Possibly yokai-related. And he’s definitely a murderer.”

She rummaged through her purse.

“Yeah… I get it,” I murmured. “People with spiritual abilities are dangerous. But… how does Akuchi feel about all this? Her life’s on the line.”

Rui smiled slyly as she pulled out a folded piece of paper. “He volunteered. You know why. He wants to impress you. But he’s not just doing this for love or obsession… he’s trying to protect you too. Idiot or not, pervert or not, he’s… honestly a good guy.”

“I know,” I admitted, my lip quirking. “What’s that? One of your files?”

“Yes!” She snapped her fingers. “I was originally hoping you could handle Noh-face with your own Noh-face powers. It went… surprisingly much better than expected. Hairy, but successful. You did most of it, and I helped.”

She leaned in. “After hearing everything you told us earlier, I knew you’d want to take down the man behind all of this.”

Then she unfolded the paper.

“Tao Mitsuhiko,” she declared.

The same emotionless face stared at me from the photo. The dead shark-like eyes. The blank expression. 

The bastard who—

“Yes… but why are you showing me this again?” I growled, teeth grinding.

Rui ignored my frustrated question, tapping the paper instead.

“To know your enemy. Tao Mitsuhiko was the son of a fisherman up in Hokkaidō. Born dirt poor. His grandfather handcrafted traditional tatami mats… the kind that required decades of training. Back then, their household had money and social standing. But when his grandfather died, the craft died with him. And the industry was already collapsing.”

She flipped the page, revealing a photo of a glittering tower.

“So now,” she continued, “a poor fisherman’s son lives in a penthouse at the top of this building… which hosts half a dozen companies.”

I leaned in.

I knew that tower. Anyone in Tokyo would. It was an architectural treasure, a lattice of beams rising like a kami’s cat’s cradle, tapering into the heavens. A skyscraper that looked more like divine sculpture than human construction.

“How did he get control of a place like that?” I asked, unable to hide the disbelief.

Rui smiled without humor. “Probably a cocktail of ambition, murder, theft, and exploitation of yokai-kind.” She waved the page at his stone-faced portrait. “I actually know very little about his past. What family he had is dead. That’s all he ever told the press. Poor background, dead relatives, no friends, doesn’t want any.”

“So maybe…” I hesitated. “His family died, and it broke something in him? Made him obsessed with success?”

“Ambitious is an understatement,” Rui said flatly. “He probably kills rivals. Anyone who gets in his way. Especially anyone who betrays him. His entire empire is built on blood.”

Her eyes narrowed to a razor’s edge.

“My gut says he killed his own family to silence them. I think they were more than simple fishermen and craftspeople. They might have been part of the occult trade… like mine.”

A chill slithered through my heart.

“If you’re right… we’re in serious trouble. If he can do the kind of stuff that you can do, the police wouldn’t stand a chance. Not to mention, he’s too slick. Even though he’s been charged with crimes, he always gets free. Anyway, they couldn’t even handle Noh-face, let alone me.”

“Exactly!” Rui lifted a finger dramatically. “Police aren’t equipped to deal with spiritual threats. A ‘yokai division’ doesn’t exist and never has.” She sighed. “That’s why my family’s legacy still matters.”

“Water!”

Akuchi appeared beside us with a flourish, slapping down two tall, ice-water filled glasses as though unveiling priceless treasures.

“This is more fun than I thought!” she giggled. “Although it’s only for one night and it’s not my dream job, it feels like playing a cute little game!”

She struck a pose.

Her uniform somehow looked more revealing than it had ten minutes ago.

“You’re interrupting our war council, silly tanuki!” Rui scolded, wagging her finger. “Where’s the tea?”

Difficult customer…

I rolled my eyes at Rui.

“Oh! My apologies,” Akuchi said dramatically. “That’s right, you were in the middle of plotting the downfall of a rich tycoon! How silly of me to think you needed hydration.” She tossed her hair… or rather, the waitress’s hair. “Tea’s brewing. Ume insisted on making it herself.”

Rui’s grin nearly split her face. “YES. Her tea is always worth the wait.”

“And now…” Rui turned her sharp gaze back to me. “Where were we?”

“I’ll get everyone else their waters,” Akuchi chirped, dashing away.

A strange new odor began to creep through the restaurant.

Something between burnt sugar and… battery acid.

“The police can’t handle yokai,” I reminded her, waving the smell away.

“Right!” Rui brightened, twisting a lock of her hair around her finger. “The government knows yokai exist. They’ve just kept it quiet for generations. They rely on Buddhist monks and Shinto priests for containment. Who else has the training?”

She tapped her chest proudly.

“My family is neither of those. We’re Shintoists, sure, but our legacy comes from everywhere. We use tools from across the world, accumulated over centuries. Because supernatural beings show up in every culture. Fairies, demons, ghosts… it’s all the same thing, just painted differently.”

Her voice softened, but her words deepened.

“Exorcists, shamans, witch doctors, wizards, sorcerers, onmyōji… the list is endless. Some arts work better on yokai than others. But remember one important thing…

Yokai are born from the human mind.

That’s why they can grow… change… or become corrupted.”

“What?!” I froze. “We created them?”

“Yes.” Rui tapped the table with a nail, as if this should’ve been obvious. “You see, human beings generate unused spiritual energy. That energy condenses into ghosts and lingering souls. And those, under the right conditions, can transform into a myriad of other kinds of yokai.”

I stared blankly.

She continued, patient but animated, gesturing with the folder like it was a chalkboard pointer.

“Say an old tree dies in the forest. Its life, age, and lingering consciousness can shape a new existence for itself. It becomes a yokai. Other things besides people can become yokai too—voluntarily or not. Consciousness energy is crucial. Where consciousness exists, there is power. And as I’ve hinted at… people can be turned into them. You’ve experienced that firsthand.”

A chill climbed up my spine.

“Then why don’t you have spiritual abilities?” I asked Rui, wondering why if she was alive, breathing and obviously conscious, why didn’t she have special abilities?

She scowled.

“Maybe when I’m dead I’ll turn into a yokai, but I just haven’t been able to build up any spiritual pressure no matter whatever I try. But I can use specialized tools, wards, and some techniques. But when it comes to raw power, internal pressure… I’ve got nothing. It’s all borrowed strength.” She huffed and scowled at me, having flushed halfway through. I guarded my shins under the table, pulling my legs away from her. 

“Stay on topic, BAKA! Anyway, when it comes to the creation of yokai, think of it like… algebra,” she added, making a little plus sign with her fingers. “In other words, creating a yokai is a matter of addition or subtraction. Add spiritual weight. Subtract something essential to be tethered to reality. But regret, longing, obsessive willpower… losing pieces of yourself. All these can be catalysts for change without the influence of others. Our consciousness reshapes itself to fill the void… and that shape is yokai.”

She gave me a look to check if I was following.

I probably wasn’t. The concept was off the wall and complicated.

“Anyway,” she sighed, flicking her hair, “yokai aren’t especially bound by the real world equations… namely physics. They’re creatures made out of pure consciousness and yet tend to be as solid as humans. So the rules that apply to biology or medicine aren’t especially relevant.”

I blinked slowly, my brain trying to buffer.

Rui sharply exhaled through her nose. “Okay. Maybe that was too big a jump.”

She leaned closer to me, tapping the jade bracelet on my wrist.

“That… right there… is easier to understand. The bracelet contains the consciousness energy of my family. Think of it as a key for unleashing yours. It draws out your spiritual abilities and lets you interface with ambient energies that most humans never feel.”

I turned the bracelet in my fingers. It didn’t feel heavy or magical. It was just cool. The jade felt smooth under my finger like glass or polished shale. It was beautiful and clearly ancient… a relic of a legacy that I barely could grasp.

“All this… It’s… a lot to absorb,” I admitted.

“Foci like the bracelet are keys, Susumu,” she repeated softly. “Tools that give shape to your spirit. They stimulate creativity. Stabilize your flow. Even the clothes you wear influence how your consciousness behaves.”

“Clothes?” I raised an eyebrow.

Rui smirked, her eyes glinting with the mystique of someone whose family had been doing this for centuries.

“Yes. What you wear can enhance… direct… or disrupt the way your abilities manifest. Style isn’t just aesthetic. It’s a kind of spiritual conductivity.”

I looked down at the outfit Natalia-sama had stuffed me into and gulped.

If clothing shaped consciousness…

…I was in for one hell of a night.