September 4th, 10am — Ema. It was a beautiful morning, sunny with a light breeze. Both Mura and Lilith had eaten a hearty breakfast provided by their curious caretaker, Zuiho.

True to his word, Zuiho allowed them to stay in his guest room for the timebeing. He had cooked them supper the night prior and gave them some emergency funds, or what little the aging man could spare.

Mura had discussed before bed his plan to locate Tomoe. Lilith suggested seeking help from Hangaku Amano, the shrine girl. However, Mura believed they had put her through enough. Tomoe had suffered as well, but she was strong and dependable in a fight. She wasn’t oblivious either, especially to the bizarre things happening around her as of late.

If they were going to need additional aid, they might as well go with the devil they knew.

Currently, the duo were in a bullet train heading toward the section of the city where Sekien Academy was located. Tomoe was likely at school already and Mura had to reach the student before her lunch break ended.

Around this time, most people were either at school or the workplace. This left the train they were riding on mostly empty, save for one or two people on their personal devices. The seats were crafted from a white polymer and plush cushions, exactly what he needed at the moment. Walking to the train station from Zuiho’s home proved exhausting for the demon and yokai; having spent so much time in a DIS prison cell.

Lilith was impatiently jostling her leg up and down, prompting Mura to slap her thigh every time she started up again.

“Where was all that energy on the walk over here, eh?” Mura questioned, giving her a look as Lilith turned away sheepishly.

“Hush, I just hate being in one place like this,” she grumbled back.

Mura shifted his gaze around the train continuously with his arms crossed. He couldn’t afford to be lackadaisical anymore. Anyone at any time could be looking for him. Hunters, imperial soldiers, Poachers or even a Jikininki.

Mura flexed his fingers, still uncomfortable with the lack of a subspace ring on his finger. He would have to mentally remind himself to get out of that habit. Gingerly relaxing his hands, Mura’s sighed lightly.

At least his countless days living on the streets would pay off again. He knew his way around a city, how to avoid fights and how to win them. He could gather intel, along with necessities he couldn’t afford. Not only that, but once they became more comfortable on Earth, they could try to locate more clues regarding Lilith’s past life.

“So, be honest. You got a plan once we reach Tomoe?” Lilith asked breaking Mura’s silent meditation.

“Honestly? No, I’m gonna wing it,” Mura said bluntly.

“Haha, jokester today aren’t ya?” Lilith cracked sardonically. “Seriously though, what do you mean for real?”

“I meant it!” Mura whispered, surprised. “You can’t really plan for everything like this. That’s something I learned centuries ago. You can strategize for every possible scenario, but typically when people do that, it’s because they’re terrible at improvising. Soon as shit hits the fan, they freeze up.” Mura said, looking out the window in front of him. “I can only plan so much. Besides, I’m better on my feet anyway. Some folks are good at chess. Others are better at speed chess.”

“You sound like Naraka now,” Lilith laughed.

“Yeah… guess he rubbed off on me a little, huh?” Mura chuckled back. “Hey, what do you think the guy’s up to right now?”

“Writing proverbs for fortune cookies, most likely,” Lilith said, turning to face Mura.

Mura smiled, straightening his back to face her properly.

“I’m sure he’s trying to help us, right? I mean, he does so much for me… I’m still in his debt for the trial too,” Mura said.

“Seriously, he saved our asses! It was like something out of those Prime Prosecutor games!” Lilith gasped, remembering the lawyering skill their former master possessed.

A man across from them looked up from his phone and gave Lilith an annoyed look before slipping black covers over his ears to tune them out.

Lilith was surprised and turned to Mura, shaking his arm.

“Mura… he can see me,” she whispered.

Mura looked at her, then back at the man suspiciously.

“I noticed that too… What’s the deal, I thought humans can’t see yokai or spirits.”

“Zuiho could see me too yesterday, on the beach. Do… Do you think this mark they gave me has something to do with it?”

Mura placed his hand atop hers, which rested on the armrest between them.

“It’s nothing to worry about. If you really aren’t invisible anymore, I suppose we’ll have to take extra precautions,” he whispered in her ear.

Their conversation was interrupted by the slowing of the train as a voice came over the intercoms embedded into the train’s walls.

“Now arriving at: Kokuana Station.”

Looking out the windows as the train’s air brakes activated, the location became immediately apparent to Mura.

“Last time I was at this station, I was on top of the train…”

Gasping shortly, Lilith turned to Mura with widened eyes.

“Oh my god, this was the forest wasn’t it?”

By now, the doors had opened and no one seemed to be leaving at this stop. Mura took that as a sign to stand up, pulling Lilith up by her hand. Leading her towards the open doors, they both stepped out onto the stone-built station platform. It was at least a story high, with an elevator and single staircase providing access down to the ground below.

Behind them, the train let out a mechanical chime and a second later, the doors slowly slid shut.

The demon surveyed his surroundings, scanning the thick trees as Lilith looked behind them for anyone that might have snuck off the train.

The coast seemed clear for now. Not sensing any spikes in Tamashiryoku, Mura let go of Lilith and walked to the edge of the platform, placing his hands on the warm stone handrail. He looked out at the horizon before them, the fantastical city they had visited not too long ago shining in the distance.

“So… can you tell me why we didn’t take the next stop off?” Lilith asked with a dry smile. “You know… in the actual city? I mean, this view is just… lovely but they sell postcards for that.”

Mura patted her shoulder, walking toward the stone brick staircase as Lilith hurried after him.

“I wanted to walk. It’s good for our health and we’re outta shape,” Mura said with a smile.

“O-Out of shape?! You’re freakin’ jacked, dude!” Lilith balked in astonishment at the seemingly ludicrous answer.

Mura laughed at her response and breathed in the fresh air.

“Yeah, but my stamina isn’t what it used to be. I have to begin training again after we find Tomoe. Come on, let’s jog there instead!” he laughed.

“No god, you are becoming Naraka!” Lilith cried as Mura hopped down the stairs with childish energy, reinvigorated as she tried to catch up.

❇ ❇ ❇

Nagata Residence, Ema — Three hours earlier that day. Tomoe was woken by the grungy harshness of an electric guitar, an alarm she set to go off every morning. The music played from the speakers on the sides of her personal robotic companion, Ai. The little android had her screen lit and an avatar of the girl was shown playing the guitar like a thrash metal legend.

Tomoe sat up immediately and tore off her cat-motif sleep mask, looking for Ai so she could turn the alarm off now that she was clearly awake.

—Where!? Where is that damn droid!?

Ai wasn’t in her charging cradle. She was still playing the song titled “Ded ANGEL” by Locomotive Paradiso, a favorite band of her master. As the song blasted, Ai flew around Tomoe’s room using her hover motors.

Tomoe leapt out from her grey duvet, nearly tripping off her bed and onto the carpeted floor. She ran after the floating droid and tried to catch it, but missed as Ai flew higher.

“Shut off, Ai!! I’m up, I’m up!!!” Tomoe yelled in a drowsy panic.

“You told me to make sure you got up today! Besides, this solo is my favorite part!” Ai chirped, her avatar holding up fingers to create a devil-horns sign.

Tomoe’s mother called out to her daughter from the first floor of their house.

“Shut that machine off, Tomoe!” she cried out from the staircase.

“Sorry mom!” Tomoe hollered back over the racket.

Finally leaping up, Tomoe tapped the screen on Ai’s chassis. The metal music stopped and the silence was so abundant that she could hear her own heart racing. That, and the fans within Ai’s body whirring.

“Never… use that feature again, Ai,” Tomoe heaved as the little robot hovered back down to her master.

“Aww, if you insist,” she said in a disappointed tone.

Tomoe looked around her room for the uniform she slipped off the previous night. There were clothes of various types around the floor, as Tomoe would typically fling them off as soon as she got home.

Still dressed in nightclothes consisting of a black tank top and plaid boyshorts, she found her dress shirt and tie hanging from a lamp on her black lacquer dresser. Picking up the items, she took a moment to admire the many posters hanging on her wall. Various ones ranging from video game characters, rock stars and even yoga poses were taped up.

Smiling, she pulled herself away back to reality.

—Oh crap, I didn’t shower.

Lifting her arms up to smell underneath them, she found the state of her hygiene passable and quickly slipped the shirt over her head and buttoned it up. Tomoe adjusted her tie and straightened it, then slipped a can of aerosol deodorant inside her shirt and coated her underarms with the cold spray.

“Hey Ai, you see my shorts?” Tomoe asked, picking her skirt off the carpet near the door to her room.

“They’re right over by your lava lamp!” Ai declared as Tomoe put on her checkered skirt and tied the black academic blazer around her waist.

“Thanks, girl!” Tomoe zipped back, snatching her shorts off the ground and wiggling them up her legs.

“What socks should I wear today? I’m thinking thhhhhhe—“ Tomoe asked, stretching out the last syllable while thinking.

“Red ones!” Ai belted out in an excited scream.

—I was leaning towards white with black stars, but ‘kay.

“Red it is!” Tomoe agreed, taking a rolled-up tube of red socks from her dresser and slipping them over her feet.

“Oh!” Tomoe gasped, catching a look of herself in the vanity mirror by her desk.

Grabbing a well-used hairbrush off the top of the nightstand, Tomoe rapidly brushed her long orange hair. No matter how she tried, a cowlick directly on top of her head refused to bend or smooth down. She threw the hairbrush onto the floor and grabbed her schoolbag.

“Nearly forgot this, whew boy!” Tomoe said as Ai flew behind her.

Tomoe grabbed her red beanie off the desk and slipped it over her head.

Flinging open her door, she was greeted by a familiar white Shiba Inu that thought Tomoe wanted to play.

“Not now, Goro! I need to catch the train!”

She stopped to pet the happy dog, who tried to sneak in a few loving licks on her fingers.

Her room was located right next to the staircase, so seeing it was clear, Tomoe skipped down the stairs before leaping off the remaining steps.

She landed with surprising accuracy at the bottom of the stairs as Ai hovered along. The resounding thud scared her mother, who was cleaning at the moment near the stairs.

“Dear, please… I-I don’t think my heart can take that this early,” she chuckled with tired eyes.

“Sorry mom! Love you, gotta go okay?” Tomoe said, grabbing her shoes from the rack near the door.

“I love you too, but you’re not even going to eat breakfast!?” her mom cried out in surprise.

“Don’t worry, I’ll grab something from the vendor!”

Her mom sighed.

“Alriiiight~ But be safe! Call me if there’s trouble! You got that, Ai?”

“Yes ma’am!” Ai responded cheerfully, her perky avatar saluting the mother.

Tomoe went over everything she had and took off.

It was a beautiful morning, slightly cool but a little humid as well. She stepped off the patio belonging to the traditional road and onto the grey street. Her home was located next to several others along a small road. She couldn’t much see anything in front of her, aside from more huddled homes and shops that were converted from older houses. Behind her house was a cluster of trees that ran behind the road as they belonged to a local park.

As she turned left on the road to walk to the train station, Ai hovered next to Tomoe’s head.

“So Tomoe, what do you think is gonna be on the test today?”

“Can’t you just look up the answers? Some senior probably leaked them online by now a few years back. Mr. Oka never changes things up from what I hear—”

“Absolutely not!” Ai gasped, scowling with her pink eyes. “We studied for this for two days now, you have to remember something!”

Tomoe cracked a smile as she reached the end of the road and neared the crosswalk. By now the train station was in sight.

“Don’t worry! O-Of course I remember! There’s like, five-hundred bones right?”

Ai sighed and resigned herself to downloading better tutoring software later. As the two approached the crosswalk, Tomoe turned back from looking at Ai and noticed a short man that was suddenly waiting in front of them.

The man was obese with long black hair and dressed like a monk. A smell emitted from him almost immediately, causing Tomoe to recoil.

A red hand was displayed across the street on a crosswalk screen, restricting access to the automated cars driving down the bigger road.

Tomoe wondered where this man came from, as she never noticed him approaching the same crosswalk. Without provocation, the man who was mere meters from Tomoe clucked his tongue and spoke in a hoarse voice.

“May all that have life be delivered from suffering.”

Tomoe froze in her tracks as the short man turned to face her. Her blood ran cold as she saw the monk’s burnt, charred flesh. He smiled, showing flat yellowed teeth as his eyeballs dangled from their sockets like grotesque ornaments.

“May all that have life be delivered from suffering…”