ALL NOVEL Chapter 3: Deals
Inheritance (noun): the practice of passing on private property, titles, rights, or obligations upon the death of an individual.
Kobeni peered into the cardboard box on the bed with unreadable eyes. The various objects inside may not have much monetical value, but to her, she wouldn't give any away even when offered with the best kept secret in the world. They were that important to her. Especially this photo album full of Shion-mama's lifework.
She looked at a familiar retro-styled camera and couldn't help but pick it up. It may be small, but the leather felt nice to touch. Shion-mama liked taking pictures, she often fiddled with this camera when she had been bed ridden. More than half of the album was her baby photos, but there were also old pictures as well. Quite a few of them featured Shion-mama in high school uniform. She could identify Tsubaki-mama and Papa right away. They didn't change all that much from their younger years.
Shion-mama didn't smile much in the pictures, but she also didn't look sick.
Looking back, the two of them didn't have a good life. However, it could have been worse had Papa and Tsubaki-mama not been able to help. Oh no, she knew they helped. There's no way a sick woman and her six year old daughter could survive without a steady flow of income. She gathered that from the meeting yesterday.
Her mother, aside from having a dry sense of humor, was also very stubborn.
Furthermore, Shion-mama also had deep-seated trust issues.
It wasn't that long ago that her mother told her about the time she was hospitalized five years ago. She wasn't even one yet, so her memory was a little fuzzy. But her mother nearly lost her. She didn't understand what happened, and her mother also didn't want to talk about it in detail. She only knew that Shion-mama lost something important in that event, in exchange for a chance at her continued survival.
It was a few nights after the talk that she had overheard Shion-mama talking in her sleep, about how she had failed someone dear to her and had to pay the price.
Now that she looked back, it wasn't hard to piece the puzzle from a few months ago together now. Shion-mama had lost a lifelong partner, her very own shikigami. In that exchange, a choice was made for her mother. The shikigami gave up its own freedom for the life of its master's daughter. The trust issues stemmed from this.
Afraid of loss, her mother dared not trust anybody again...
Kobeni heaved a quiet sigh to herself.
Her little hand softly caressed the album's cover.
She also inherited something from Shion-mama, like Yurika-nee and her journal. Smiling at a teru teru bouzu in the cardboard box, she picked it up and inspected the paper doll carefully. Her fingertip briefly touched a little bowtie at its collar before she put it back. There were a few more things that caught her attention.
Red eyes focused on an old-aged book. It reminded her of a manga she read in her previous life. Just from its hard cover alone, she knew this old thing was probably older than her mother. If anything were to belong in the museum, it's this thing.
Lo and behold, it actually had names inside!
Did Mama spend her youthful years picking a fight with youkais or something? They didn't have a cat, let alone any pet, so this can't possibly be the Book of Friends?
She looked through the names before giving up. She would rather read doctor's notes than go through these names. It was like someone dunked a chicken in a wine barrel and gave it ink and brush. Honestly, they were just that bad.
However, she did understand the meaning of this debt ledger.
It wasn't about money, but favors.
Unlike her Papa who collected knowledge, Shion-mama collected favors. From some of the names that she could actually read, it didn't end with just Japanese youkais either. Some names were written in cursive English, others in languages she didn't know. Seeing this, it begged the question why her mother hadn't used it?
Kobeni shook away that thought. She wasn't her mother, there's no way she could understand the motive behind her every action. However, it did clarify a lot of things for her. One girl cannot take over half of the world in a single week in her lonesome.
Her other self must've called in quite a few favors in the first few loops...
It was then that something caught her attention. In the dark corner of the pristine room, there were several dozens of eyes staring at her. They normally appeared around twilight time, but it was only an hour into the afternoon.
'Is it really alright?'
She had been seeing these things since she woke up.
If she pretended she hadn't noticed—
*Knock knock*
The quiet sound of the door sliding open drew her attention away from the eyes. Her own ruby red eyes locked with a pair of deep blue ones. The newly arrived, a man in a lab coat with pinkish brown hair, flashed a gentle smile in her direction before stepping into the room. Not only was this person her doctor, he was also the head of this hospital.
He's Yotsuba Kakeru, the next Head of Yotsuba Family.
"Good afternoon, Kobeni-chan."
"Sensei."
It didn't matter how many times he smiled at her, the only thing he got out of her until today had either been a nod or a single word response. It wasn't that she disliked him, oh no, she liked him very much. She's weak against beautiful people in uniforms, actually.
The cause of her behavior was his only son.
Yotsuba Mamoru.
The kid was actually one of the main characters.
If possible, she would like to leave that can of worms alone.
By the way, the player character...
In Moonlit Paradigm, the relationship between the protagonist and the main casts played a huge role in both combat and story. The Affection System was an integral part of the game, so important that the community actually compiled an intensive dialogue guide only a few days after release. Those hardcore players, seriously.
'Well, I was one of those hardcore players myself.'
Regarding the player character - or rather the protagonist - she was afraid that they would target an outlier like her instead of the main cast, like in those web novels. Since the protagonist was pretty good-looking in both genders, she's fine with raising the Affection from [Stranger] all the way to [Love]. However, she would rather not change things too much. She hadn't sorted through the memories yet.
Now, back to the situation at hand—
If she's not wrong, then Mamoru-kun should be the same age as Yurika-nee. That meant Yotsuba-sensei only had about two years before his wife died from illness. She knew how it felt like to lose someone, but that didn't mean he could do a forbidden ritual to bring her back, especially not in the backyard of his own house.
Taizan Fukun Ritual was a spell that gave the user a limited control over death. As it was a Soul Magic, Onmyou Agency - Japan's Ministry of Magic - had classified it as Forbidden Magic and all but outlawed its practice. However, it required preparations to be made beforehand, and sometimes it might not be a full resurrection. There were only two successes recorded, one was by Abe no Seimei, the other—
"Please excuse me..."
Kobeni was pulled out of her thoughts by Yotsuba-seisei's voice. She nodded to him and undid the little knot at her side, loosening the collar and allowing him to work unobstructed. The stethoscope felt cold on her skin, but not enough for her to make any weird noise. She's a kid, yes, but it would be awkward as hell though.
She quietly observed him, only to look away as he raised a brow.
Yotsuba-sensei posed no threat to her in the future, but the fact that he performed the ritual was still an important plot point. Since the ritual dealt with souls, failure could result in either nothing or the death of everyone involved. Considering that Mamoru-kun lost both of his parents in the game, the outcome should be clear.
After obediently letting him poke and prod at her for a while, Yotsuba-sensei was finally satisfied with everything and greenlighted her for release tomorrow evening. The reason why she had to wait that long was because Tsubaki-mama had her work at the Exorcism Bureau, and Yurika-nee couldn't exactly sign the release paper.
Of course, no one from Hiiragi would come to get her.
"Hey, sensei?"
"Yes?"
The next Head of Yotsuba replied easily. He knelt down a little so that their eye level matched. Looking at him like this, she knew he was a good person. However, when good guys like him fell onto the wrong side of the tightrope, they fell hard. A good example would be her counterpart who snapped and razed Tokyo to the ground after losing everyone. The road to hell was paved with good intentions, after all.
Madness fueled by love, that's the scariest of them all...
"Do you know about the Taizan Fukun Ritual?"
Interesting. Just how many would be able to keep smiling like that, she couldn't help but wonder. It was said that a bright smile hid untold sorrows. She had no idea how much he was hurting inside with his wife's condition, but she's certain of one thing. He must be thinking about how she came to know of such a forbidden ritual.
But oh my, the pain that just flashed across his eyes?
She knew a mask when she saw one.
"Kobeni-chan, do you miss your parents that much?"
There... seemed to be a misunderstanding?
"That's—"
If he thought of it like that, she can't hate him now, can he?
"Sensei, do you have someone you love very much? Siblings? Lover?" When he nodded, she continued. "If Sensei really loves them, then would you do anything to keep them safe? Anything and everything? Even if you have to go through hell and high water? Even if you have to make a deal with the devil himself?"
That one last question finally made him pause.
"Kobeni-chan, you're scaring me."
He's not a bad person.
But then again, the road to hell and all that...
She was currently a six year old little girl. If she had to count on someone to keep her safe, that someone would be Tsubaki-mama. But in reality, the power in her hand was nothing but shackles. No matter if she was the Exorcism Bureau's Kanto Branch or the Head of Hiiragi Family. On the other hand, this person in front of her...
Unlike Tsubaki-mama, Yotsuba-sensei was someone who would nonchalantly perform a forbidden ritual in the backyard of his house. The first time she read about it, she actually did a spit take. So if she wanted to depend on someone, it would be this person who would stop at nothing to get what he wanted.
"Iori-san, your wife, she's sick, isn't she?"
He gulped.
"Kobeni-chan, how did you..."
"How did I know?"
She sighed at the expression on his face.
'Here comes the hard part...'
"You see, about that... I didn't think it's real until I saw your face, sensei. I thought it was a fever dream or something, but if you made that kind of face— What should I do? I'm not crazy, right? Sensei, please tell me— I'm not weird, right? Up here?"
She tapped her temple repeatedly, a lopsided smile on her face forced him into silence. If that wasn't a sign for her to continue, she didn't know what was.
"It's like a story I didn't know, but somehow remembered. Things I shouldn't have known, but somehow felt familiar. Like somebody just forced an entire life's worth of memories into my head. Then, those eyes! I— I've never seen them before! But now I saw them... It's not normal, right? The shadow? Those eyes in the corner?"
A small and shaky hand that had been pointing at the eyes fell limp.
"I lost Papa and Mama. I have no one left. And when I woke up, it was like one cruel joke after another. The last six years of my life, what's real and what's lie? Am I not a good girl anymore? Is it because I act selfish— that these things happen?"
The next Head of Yotsuba stepped in between her bed and the agitated shadow in the corner. His deep blue eyes narrowed slightly, turning the air around him frigid in a split second. He stood tall and tapped his foot in a particular rhythm. However, the sound that came out resembled a church bell more than anything.
When he walked back to her side, the shadow was no longer there.
"Your mother never told me you're gifted, Kobeni-chan. Shion-san had consulted with me regarding your talents. It seems like those worries are unfounded. You've gotten Hiro-san's special eyes and Shion-san's massiv reserve, it's impossible that you wouldn't be able to see this side of the world. It's such a waste..."
It's such a waste that her parents would never be able to see.
The mournful look in his eyes told her everything.
"So I'm..."
"There's nothing wrong with you, Kobeni-chan. No need to worry. And about the things you saw in your dream, I'll contact someone who's specialized divination for you. Not many people know about Iori being my wife, even less about her condition. Anyway, Kobeni-chan, can you wear this necklace at all times? For me?"
A set of white prayer beads was brought out from his lab coat's pocket. It's not weird for him to have something like that on his person. Yotsuba-sensei was an accomplished onmyou practitioner. He specialized in ritual and exorcism. What he just did earlier was also a ritual as well, albeit one that was shortened into a few steps. That's why she just took it and wore it around her neck without protest.
Since he knew both her parents, there's no need for her to—
"Hmm, no traces of evil spirits, I see. It must've been prophetic dreams like you've said. Kobeni-chan, please don't take those prayer beads off, alright? It has been charmed to ward off lesser spirits like earlier. So as long as you wear it, you will always be protected, and if something were to happen, I'll come for you."
Kobeni reached up and touched the prayer beads around her neck.
"Thank you, sensei, for believing me."
If he noticed the sarcasm, he took it like a champ.
"If I don't believe you, then who would? There's only a handful of people who know that I'm married in this hospital. That's why it's impossible for you to have heard it from someone. I don't think Tsubaki-san will tell you about that as well, especially after everything. It's not something you really need to know, don't you think?"
Ignoring the tracking device around her neck, the headpats were still nice, so she decided to forgive him. Besides, it was for her safety, so she didn't really mind...
"So you have something like this on you at all times?"
Yotsuba-sensei simply laughed.
"Ah! You see, it's actually paired with a charm that I gave Iori. Since she's stuck in bed most of the time, I gave it to her as a reassurance. That way, she'll always know where I am and if I'm in danger. The charm also monitors your health as well. Once you're released, I'll give it to Tsubaki-san. She really worries, you know."
He winked and started mussing up her hair.
"Mu, please stop that..."
He only laughed as she pushed his hand away in embarrassment.
"Sensei, can you keep a secret for me? If I tell you that I know of a way to save Iori-san, will you keep it a secret from everyone? Even from Tsubaki-mama?"
It was a gamble. However, she chose to believe in her memory and gut instinct to get her out of this situation. If she chose wrong, then well, she will have to apologize to the future Kobeni. The secret she was about to tell him could start a war. But her safety at this moment was more important than something that was to come.
"Kobeni-chan, the way you talked... It sounded like I'll lose Iori."
"Yes, you will. And after that—"
"I'll perform Taizan Fukun Ritual to bring her back."
The silence afterward squeezed a hushed comment out of her.
"It won't work."
He only smiled and patted her head.
"Even if it works, I won't let Iori go so easily in the first place. Instead of letting her go and bring her back, it would be better to just find a cure instead. If what you tell me can save Iori from her fate, whatever you want, I'll give it to you. Even if I have to make a deal with the devil, I won't hesitate to hold up my end of the deal."
The cute little devil grinned sweetly at his response.
It won't be easy for a little girl like her to change the future.
But if it's him?
If she had Yotsuba-sensei on her side, that meant she would have the backing of Yotsuba. With the biggest and most influential family in the medical fields around Kanto and Tohoku at her beck and call, she will be swimming in riches.
Money was essential in many endeavor, that's why—
"Sensei, have you heard of Water of Life?"