Temple Guardian (Haremlit Fantasy Adventure)

The next day was a blur for me. I was feverish and out of sorts. I had flashes of lucidity as the girls came to take care of me. But not much else. I was only better by the next morning when the girls woke me up to Miku on speakerphone.

She sounded optimistic. She told us that the guild had sent out more scouts, they had found the summoner dead alongside several of their comrades, which meant that we were safe. There was a somewhat tense exchange between us as I insisted the summoner was still alive but in the end, we all agreed that we should still hunt down the remaining items, just in case.

The next item, Miku said, was a tea whisk. If we truly believed the summoner was still at large we could come see it. It was supposedly at a museum in Tokyo, safe and sound and there had been no reports of any break-ins yet.

Miku was staying there at a conference and gave us the address of her suite. The stubborn policewomen seemed confident we’d seen an end to our journey. The artifacts had not been recovered but she said the hunters were on this, they were perhaps destroyed, but the important thing was we were okay and the threat was neutralized.

I was far from sure but eventually accepted her insistence on the matter. The girls wanted me to rest for a day but I refused, I was ready to move on to Tokyo so we caught the midday train. This time it was no slow train for us We took the fast Shinkansen and we sped along across the countryside at a record clip. In the station, Hana was able to find the next volume of her manga and Kira laid her head in Hana’s lap, purring as Hana petted her and they read it together.

I stared out the window thinking of all that happened, and where we were headed next. I wasn’t certain of anything at this point but one thing was for sure. I was excited to see Miku. We had all been apart for far too long. There was also the unspoken mystery of Fenra, Miku had also been insistent this was the top priority of her teams both the spirit hunters and police force, but I recalled my dream.

There was a hauntingly realistic quality to the vision I’d had. Fenra had been possessed and captured. And she’d warned me not to come.

Tough shit little fox. I’m going to rescue you no matter what.

***

Tokyo was a culture shock. I had not been back there since I left for KItayashi and my grandpa’s funeral nearly two years before. But it wasn’t just me that I had to worry about as I stepped out into Tokyo Station, both of the girls were also wide-eyed. Hana’s history was still somewhat of a mystery to me, but I knew Kira at least had never been here. Both of the girls grabbed my hands on either side and I smiled at their touch. Miku had given me instructions that her hotel was actually within walking distance from the station so I led them easily through the crowd.

It was, true to her word, only a short walk away. The “Shangri-La”. It was even fancier than where we had stayed in Kibukuro. I felt extremely out of place in our shabby dirty clothes as we entered the lobby and I felt the stares of more than a few of the patrons. Thankfully the clerk herself was unphased. “Well hello sir, how can I help you today?” The girl asked with a bright smile.

Kira clawed her way up my side and whispered, none too quietly, “Can we afford this place master?” Hana stifled a chuckle at my other side but she too was impressed.

“It’s under Miku,” I said “We will be staying with our friend.” The lady, in response, typed rapidly into her keyboard and then paused making a sound of consideration and stroking her chip. She looked at me across the counter, her glasses sliding down the bridge of her nose. I silently willed her to hurry up. I could feel Kira’s impatience and was terrified she’d sneak off and do something untoward in the shiny lobby filled with red velvet and polished brass.

“You’ll need to give me a last name,” she said, her face impassive.

I felt a tinge of anger. Can’t you just trust me, lady? Well, I guess I wouldn’t trust a ragtag bunch of randoms in a swanky hotel lobby either. There was a problem though, I didn’t actually know Miku’s last name.

I felt I tug at my sleeve. It was Kira, “Master master! There’s a pool! I Want to go!” I held her in place.

“Wait,” I said, frustration building in me. “Just wait.”

Kira gave me a pouty face. I ignored it, I had to think. I opened my cell to give Miku to call but, of course, it was dead. I heard a cough from behind me and turned to see an elderly gentleman in a well-tailored suit giving me the stink eye. I turned back to the front desk lady who gave me a small smile.

“Last name?” she asked again, unphased.

“Ida. Her last name is Ida,” Hana said. She gave me a wink. “Looks like you don’t know everything do you peach-butt?”

I shook my head. “I don’t, I truly don’t”

***

The room was large but somewhat sterile compared to our suite in Kibukuro, it was very much a business hotel. It had a desk. Two king beds. A mini fridge, a large T.V., and a big glass shower and soaker tub in the bathroom. The view though, was incredible. From the full-length glass window, we could see all of Tokyo stretched out below us.

“Wow!” Kira gasped, “What are all those moving lights?”

I chuckled. “People, people in cars.”

“But there are so many!” she exclaimed.

“Too many,” Hana whispered under her breath. I frowned at that, I had seen the way she’d responded to being in the city ever since we exited the station. It was clear she didn’t like it here. What I didn’t know was why.

After charging my phone I tried repeatedly to call Miku but she wouldn’t answer. I supposed this wasn’t necessarily a red flag, I knew she would be busy and have many meetings, but I couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling in my stomach. It was getting dark and we were hungry. I suggested room service but Kira was excited to go out and Hana pointed out that anything we ordered would be charged to whoever was experiencing the room.

“It’s okay, I know a place where we can eat for free,” said Hana as she got off the bed and dusted off her sweater, turning her back to us both. I couldn’t see her face but her body language was stiff. “I didn’t want to go but… it seems like we have no choice. It's close. Don’t worry.”

***

At first, the server turned us away but Hana just snarled at her, pushed her aside, and walked towards the counter of the sushi bar. One of the younger chefs gave her a surprised look but then the main chef turned, squinting at her, then broke into a huge smile.

“Hana-chan!” he beamed. “It has been ages!”

She smiled and bowed low, a side of her I hadn’t seen. ‘Yes it has Matzuda-san, it has been a long time. It is so nice to see you. I have brought my friends to enjoy your wonderful food.”

He looked back at our guests. Kira’s baseball cap wiggled with her ears underneath it and I saw her tail wriggle slightly where it was wrapped around her waist. I held her close and grinned and she purred, trying to look our best like a normal couple out with a friend.

The chef grunted and motioned us to sit but then ignored us as we did so, talking to Hana alone. “When were you last in Tokyo? You should have called me right away. You are lucky we had a cancellation tonight. Usually, we are packed! I would have made room for you in the back, of course, but luckily I can seat you right at the bar! My gosh look how you’ve grown… it must have been… ten… fifteen years since I saw you last?”

“Ten,” Hana said quietly but politely. “The last time I came here… it was…”

“With your parents,” the chef said softly. Then he sniffed. A tense silence hung over the air. Then he clapped his hands. “Who is hungry? Omakase. On the house!”

Kira clapped her hands. “Ooh me! I’m hungry!”