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Books of The Twelve Kingdoms

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Color Gallery

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Chapter Five

RAIN STREAMED FROM THE HEAVENS LIKE THIN strands of silken thread.

Unable to move or even cry, Youko could only lie listlessly on the ground as the water pooled around her cheek. A sudden rustling sound came from behind her as something parted the undergrowth. Her mind shouted at her to hide, yet she could not even lift her head.

Was it a villager, a wild animal, or a youma? There were many options but only one outcome. Whether she was captured, attacked, or left to languish on the ground, the same fate awaited her in the end.

When her eyes shifted their hazy vision toward the source of the noise, what she saw was not a villager, a pursuer, or even a human being at all. It was a strange, animal-like creature—one that looked like a rat. It stood on its hind legs but was otherwise very ratlike indeed, with its twitching whiskers. Its height stood out as a peculiarity; it was the size of a human child. Although it did not look like a regular animal, it did not appear to be a youma either.

Youko stared vacantly at the mysterious creature. It wore a large green leaf on its head, shaped like a conical hat. White streaks of rain battered the makeshift headpiece, creating translucent puddles in the greenery, and droplets adorned its fur like shimmering accessories. How pretty, Youko thought dimly.

The rat merely gazed quizzically at Youko, showing no particular sign of wariness. It was a bit plumper than the average rat. Its fur, which looked somewhere between brown and gray in color, appeared soft and pleasant to touch. Given that the fur extended all the way to the end of its tail, it was simultaneously a rat and yet not a rat.

The ratlike creature’s whiskers twitched several times, and then its two hind legs trotted over to Youko. Its brown-gray body leaned over, touching Youko’s shoulder with diminutive arms.

“Are you all right?”

Youko blinked furiously. The voice sounded like that of a human child, but it most definitely came from the rat. Her face scrunched in confusion, and she tilted her head up cautiously.

“What’s the problem? Can’t move?”

Youko’s eyes were the only part of her that moved. She stared fixedly up at the rat, and then her head nodded very slightly. Since she was not interacting with a human, she relaxed her guard just a tad.

“Here.” The rat extended its tiny, child-sized forearm. “See if you can stand. My house is just ’round the corner.”

Youko let out a sigh. Whether it was one of relief or despair, she could not tell.

“Hm?”

When she tried to reach out for the outstretched paw, she found that only her fingertips could move. The rat leaned forward. Its tiny, warm hands gripped Youko’s cold skin.

Supported by the rat’s surprisingly strong arms, Youko made her way to the tiny house. What happened after she arrived, she could not say. She got the impression that her eyes might have fluttered open a few times, but she did not take in enough of the scenery to have a solid recollection.

After flitting between deep and light sleep, Youko finally awoke to find herself lying on a bed in a ramshackle house. When she caught herself gazing vacantly at the ceiling, she sprang upright, jumped out of the bed, and crumpled to the floor. Her legs were completely unusable.

Still reeling from the dizziness, she could at least see that there was nobody else inside the tiny room. Frantically, she got onto her hands and knees so that she could take stock of her surroundings.

There was hardly anything in the way of furniture. Some boards were linked together near her pillow to form what barely qualified as a shelf. On top of it sat a pile of cloth with an unsheathed sword and a blue jewel, threaded with a brand-new string.

The strength evaporated from Youko’s body. Somehow, she managed to get back on her feet long enough to put the jewel around her neck and pick up the sword and cloth. She returned to the bed, where she wrapped the cloth around her sword and shoved it inside the bedding. Only then did she finally feel safe.

At this point, Youko belatedly realized someone had changed her into nightwear. There were also bandages around all her cuts and scrapes. Lying on her side, she noticed something damp pressing up below her shoulder. Peeling it off, she found that it was a piece of cloth soaked in water. It must have fallen off when she got up without her realizing. When she pressed it against her forehead, it felt nice and relaxing.

She pulled herself under the thick blanket and closed her eyes, her fingers scrunched around the jewel. A deep sigh of relief escaped her mouth. Her life, however meager it was, felt precious to her now that she had been saved.

“Are you awake?”

She jumped at the sound of the voice. Looking over her shoulder, she saw a large brown-gray rat standing by the door. It came inside, holding a tray with one paw and a bucket in the other.

Suspicion shot through her mind. As long as it lived and spoke like a human, then she could not afford to let her guard down around even what appeared to be an animal.

The rat stepped forward nonchalantly, seeming oblivious to Youko’s distrustful gaze. It put the tray on the table and placed the bucket by the foot of the bed.

“How’s the fever?”

It reached out its tiny arm. When Youko shrank back and tried to squirm away, the rat’s whiskers twitched. It promptly scooped up the cloth that had fallen onto the bed. The rat must have noticed Youko hugging the sword tightly to her chest, but it did not say anything. Dabbing the cloth in the bucket, the rat peered at her face.

“How do you feel? Think you can eat something?”

Youko shook her head. The rat’s tiny whiskers twitched again as it picked up a cup of hot water from the table.

“Here, some medicine. Can you drink it?”

Youko shook her head again. She really couldn’t let her guard down—it would expose her to danger. The rat tilted its head and then brought the cup to its own mouth, taking a sip in front of Youko.

“It’s just medicine. Tastes a bit bitter, but there’s nothing in it you ain’t supposed to drink. See?” it said, proffering the cup once more.

Even then, Youko refused to take it. Looking slightly perturbed, the rat scratched the fur below its ears.

“Okay, suit yourself,” it said, just as the silence was getting strained. “So what can you take? You won’t be around much longer if you can’t eat or drink. Think you can swallow tea? How about goat milk? Porridge? Would that do for you?”

When Youko remained silent, the rat sighed in consternation.

“You slept for three days. If I was gonna do somethin’ to ya, I would’ve done it while you were conked. And, um…” The rat pointed its nose at the bundle Youko was holding. “I know you’re hiding your sword. Since you’re armed and I’m not, can’t you relax a touch?”

Faced with the rat’s jet-black eyes, Youko slowly released her grip on the sword and put it on her lap.

“Good.” The rat sounded satisfied.

It extended an arm again, and this time, Youko did not evade it. The tiny paw touched her forehead before quickly pulling away.

“Looks like you’ve still got a bit of a temperature, but it’s mostly gone down. You ought to get some good, proper rest, I reckon. Or is there anything else you want?”

Youko hesitated and opened her mouth. “Water.”

The rat’s little ears twitched multiple times. “Water, you said? Great, so you can talk. I’ll cool some water down for you pronto. Now that you’re up, you oughta cover yourself with those sheets.”

Without waiting to see Youko’s nod, the rat bounced out of the room. Its lightly furry tail swayed, evidently to help it stay balanced.

The rat soon returned with a water pitcher, a teacup, and a small container. The water in the cooling pot was still lukewarm, and it tasted delicious. Youko helped herself to several cups, then peered into the small container. The strong stench of alcohol assailed her nostrils.

Wincing, she asked, “What…is this?”

“I pickled some peaches in alcohol and boiled it in sugar. Think you can eat it?”

Youko nodded, returning the rat’s gaze.

“Thank you,” she said falteringly.

The rat lifted its nose, its whiskers twitching. The fur on its cheeks swelled out, looking plump and fluffy, and Youko thought she saw its eyes crinkle into a small smile.

“My name’s Rakushun. You?”

Youko hesitated and then replied simply: “Youko.”

“Youko, huh? How’s it written?”

“The ‘you’ from ‘sunny’ and the ‘ko’ from ‘child.’”

“The ‘ko’ from ‘child’?” Rakushun cocked his head in bemusement and made a noise of interest. “Weird name. Where’d you come from?”

Sensing that things would take a turn for the worse if she did not answer, Youko mustered after a great deal of hesitation, “Kei.”

“The Kingdom of Kei? Which part?”

She did not know anything more about the country than that, so she came up with something on the spot. “Hairou?”

“Huh. Where’s that?” Rakushun gazed at Youko in slight perplexion before he scratched below his ears. “Eh, no biggie. Anyway, you oughta get some rest. Can you take the medicine now?”

This time, Youko nodded.

“How is Rakushun written?”

The rat broke out into another smile.

“The ‘raku’ in ‘nasty medicine,’ and the ‘shun’ in ‘smart and swift.’”

After spending a day sleeping in the room, Youko surmised that Rakushun was the house’s only occupant.

Late that night, the blue monkey’s head appeared at the foot of the bed. “So you’ll trust anyone with a tail, hm? You know he’s going to betray you. Tell me I’m wrong.”

There were two beds in the room, though Rakushun did not sleep here. Although Youko doubted that the house had another bedroom, she had no idea where or how Rakushun slept.

“Isn’t it best that you scram? He could snuff your life out in an instant, you know that?”

Youko did not reply. Even as she remained silent, the blue monkey repeated the same thing many times over.

It was a verbalization of Youko’s doubts. This monkey came to her in order to voice such thoughts aloud, to wear away her spirit. Youko was convinced of this.

The monkey slid its way up the bedsheets and toward her pillow. Its small head angled around, trying to peer at Youko’s face as she lay on her side.

“You should strike first before something bad happens. You won’t survive if you stay put. You know that, right?”

Youko turned over, pointing her gaze at the ceiling.

“I don’t trust Rakushun,” she said finally.

“Oh?”

“I’m just putting up with him because I can’t move right now. I have to rest up until I can at least hold the sword, or I’ll just be monster meat.”

The wound in her right hand was just that grave. Her grip strength hadn’t returned, even after a whole day of touching the jewel.

“He might have figured out that you’re a Kaikyaku. You can’t just cheerfully stick it out. An official could walk in any second, you know?”

“Then I’ll just make my sword do the talking. I can cut my way past four or five officials. I’ll use Rakushun until then.”

Youko had no allies here. However, she desperately needed help right now. She would stay put until she could at least grip the sword and some of her strength returned. For this, she needed food, medicine, and a safe place to rest.

She didn’t know if Rakushun was an enemy, but at least he provided Youko with what she needed. She would take advantage of the situation until she could clearly determine his stance.

“What if the food is poisoned? Is the medicine really medicine?” the monkey prodded.

“I’m staying vigilant.”

“Can you really say you’ve no blind spots?” The monkey continued verbalizing Youko’s fears. Answering each of its questions was much like talking to herself.

“If he was actively trying to do something to me, he could have done it while I was unconscious,” Youko said. “He had plenty of chances to murder me without slipping something into my food.”

“What if he’s waiting for something? Like backup?”

“By then, I’ll have recovered enough to handle it.”

“He might be trying to win your trust so that he can stab you in the back later.”

“Then I won’t trust him until I’ve figured out what he wants.”

The monkey abruptly burst into a fit of cackles. “You’ve gotten plucky, eh?”

“I’ve figured things out.” That she had no friends in this world. That she had nowhere to go and nowhere to return. That she was all alone.

Even so, she needed to survive. Her life was especially precious because she had no friends to share it with or a place to call home. If this entire world wished for Youko’s demise, then she would live to spite it. If everyone in her former world wanted nothing to do with her, then she would return whether they liked it or not.

It was pure obstinacy that drove her. Stubbornness.

She would survive, find Keiki, and figure out a way to return to the other side. It did not matter whether Keiki was a friend or foe. If he was an enemy, then she would make him return her to her former world.

“And what are you going to do back home?”

“I’ll think about it when I get there.”

“Don’t you think you’re better off dying a quick death?”

“If no one else cares about me, then I’ll decide the value of my life.”

“The rat will betray you.”

Youko looked back at the monkey. “Rakushun can’t betray me if I don’t trust him.”

She should have figured this out sooner. She was a Kaikyaku—which meant she would be hunted. There were no friends for Kaikyaku; they belonged nowhere in this world. If only she had taken that lesson to heart, she would never have been such an easy mark for the likes of Takki and Matsuyama. She would never have believed them so gullibly, and she would never have been betrayed. What she should have done was pretend to trust them while using them as part of her plan for survival.

She would use everything at her disposal now. What was wrong about that? Takki and Matsuyama had tried to use her for a bit of coin. In that case, Youko had no qualms about using Rakushun for her own ends.

“Quite the villain speech, eh? Aren’t you afraid of becoming one of the bad guys?”

“I can live with it,” Youko muttered and waved her hand. “I’m tired. Now go.”

The monkey made a peculiar face, as if it had swallowed something bitter. It turned its head around and abruptly dove underneath the bedding before vanishing entirely.

Youko watched it go, a thin smile on her lips. The monkey had voiced a fear that Youko herself did not feel. This was useful for setting her own feelings straight—she was in control.

“True, I might be turning into a villain…” She could not help but break out into a light, self-deprecating smile.

Even so, she refused to let others use her again. That was her line in the sand. Never again would she allow someone to step all over her. She would protect herself—she could guarantee that.

“It’s for the best.”

She thought of the mother and daughter she had encountered on the mountain road. The reason they hadn’t betrayed her was because she gave them no opportunity. She would not give Rakushun the opportunity either. That way, she could survive.

Why was Youko compelled to come to this world? Why did Keiki call her his master? Just what kind of enemy was she up against? What did they seek to gain by targeting her?

Who was that woman—the one whose hair was golden like Keiki’s? Why did she harm Youko? If the youma did not target specific people, then why did they go after Youko? The woman had hugged the black dog’s remains as if mourning its death. This suggested that the dog had once been a friend of hers. Much like Keiki, she had youma companions around her. Had she directed them to attack Youko?

On the other hand, the woman acted as if she had attacked Youko against her own volition. So who was giving out the orders? Had Keiki also gotten involved with Youko on someone else’s command?

Youko was ignorant, and she could not remain so. She swore to herself that she would make someone cough up the answers.

At some point, she unconsciously started to clench her fist. Her nails had grown long enough to dig into her palm. Youko lifted her hand and stared long and hard at her fingertips. Her bent, chipped nails had grown sharp—like a monster’s.

“Only youma and sages can cross the Kyokai.”

Youko was no god or sage.

So am I a youma, then?

On the cliff of the Kyokai, she had that dream about transforming into a beast. Was that truly just a dream?

Before she came to this side, she’d had a long series of dreams about being attacked by youma. That dream became reality. Could she really say for certain that her vision of becoming a beast was not a premonition?

What if her hair turning red and her eyes turning blue were the first steps in her transformation? What if Youko was not a human, but, in fact, a youma?

It was both a frightening and joyful prospect.

Roaring, shouting, swinging a sword, cowing others—she felt a peculiar sense of elation in those acts. In her old world, Youko had never raised her voice or glared at others. She had always thought of those things as wrong, somehow. Was it because that well-behaved girl was not the real her?

Unconsciously, she had always known that she was a youma, a savage beast. And because she could not live in that world as a beast, she had pretended to be a harmless creature. Maybe that was why everyone said she had a “mysterious side.”

The what-ifs danced in her mind as she descended into slumber.

THE HOUSE WAS A VERY TINY, SHABBY BUILDING situated on farmland. Most of the residents in the area seemed poor, but even Youko could tell that this particular house was in worse shape than the others.

The majority of the houses in the rice fields were built as part of a collective, but this one was unusual in how it stood alone on the mountain slope. There were no other houses visible nearby.

One would imagine a rat living in a miniature house, but this was not the case. Although it was small in scope, the building was of perfectly average proportions. Even the furniture and utensils were all human-sized, which Youko found puzzling.

“Rakushun, where are your parents?” Youko asked him as she helped pour water into a large iron pot on the stove. She was finally up and able to move now. Although there was a bandage wrapped around her right hand, she could still use it to support a bucket. The wound had almost entirely closed.

Rakushun looked up at Youko as he tossed some firewood onto the stove. “I don’t have a dad. My mom’s out right now.”

“Is she traveling? She’s been gone for a while. Did she go far?”

“Nah, just the nearby village. Went off to do some work. She was meant to come back the day before yesterday, but when she’s late, it means she’s working overtime.”

This meant that the mother could potentially come home at any moment. Youko took careful note.

“What does your mother do?”

“She’s a housemaid during the winter. Most of the time, she’s a tenant farmer. She goes off in the summer as well to do some odd jobs if she’s asked.”

“I see…”

“Were you on your way somewhere, Youko?”

Youko gave a bit of thought to this question. She had no destination, but she hadn’t been walking around just for the sake of it.

“Do you know a man named Keiki?” she asked finally.

Rakushun wiped some wood shavings off his fur. “You’re looking for someone? Is he from around here or something?”

“I don’t know where he’s from.”

“Sorry to say, but I don’t know any Keiki.”

“I see.” Youko paused. “Is there anything else for me to do?”

“Nothing. You just sit tight—you’re still recoverin’ and all.”

Youko did as she was told, sinking her lethargic body into a chair.

Dirt lined the floor of the small kitchen and dining space, and the table and chairs were old and creaky. On the seat next to Youko’s lay the sword wrapped up in its cloth. Rakushun did not seem offended by Youko’s constant need to have the sword with her. She had no idea what he thought of it.

“So, Youko…” Rakushun turned, showing a back of luscious fur to Youko as he asked in his childlike voice, “Why do you dress up as a guy?”

She must have been exposed when he changed her into bedwear.

Youko took careful stock of Rakushun as she replied, “It’s dangerous traveling alone.”

“Ah, all right. Makes sense,” said Rakushun, carrying over an earthenware teapot. The smell of a boiled brew filled the room. The rat put two teacups down on the table and then looked up at Youko. “Why don’t you have a scabbard to go with that sword?”

“I lost it.”

It was only as she answered that she belatedly remembered that there had once been a scabbard. Although she had been told when crossing the Kyokai not to let the sword and scabbard be apart, losing the scabbard did not appear to cause any catastrophes. She supposed that it was more important not to lose the jewel that was attached to the scabbard.

Rakushun hummed in response as he clambered onto a chair. The action very much resembled that of a small child.

“You oughta get someone to make you a scabbard. The sword’ll get damaged without one.”

“I suppose,” Youko answered without enthusiasm.

Rakushun peered up at her with his jet-black eyes, tilting his tiny head slightly. “You said you were from Hairou, right?”

“Yes,” Youko said curtly.

“That’s not in Kei. Isn’t that a village in the east part of Shin Prefecture?”

Oh, right, there was a place with that name, Youko vaguely recalled as she fell silent.

“I heard there was a big Shoku thereabouts.”

Youko said nothing to that either.

“A Kaikyaku was behind it, and she ran away, they said.”

Youko narrowed her eyes at Rakushun. Unconsciously, her hand reached out for her sword. “What…are you talking about?” Her fingers closed around the hilt.

“It was a girl with red hair, about sixteen or seventeen. Gotta watch out for her sword, they said. The sword’s got no scabbard… Kinda sounds like you, Youko.”

Hand clenching her sword, her eyes bored into Rakushun. The rat’s expression was unreadable. Come to think of it, he was significantly poorer than the humans.

“I got a house call from the governor’s office,” Rakushun said.

“And?”

“Don’t make such a scary face. If I was gonna out you, I would’ve done it when they showed up. They were offering a pretty penny for your head, you know.”

Youko undid the cloth. As she stood up, it fell away, revealing the sword’s naked blade. “What are you after?”

The rat simply gazed up at Youko with his black eyes, his silken threadlike whiskers twitching. “Boy, are you crabby.”

“What are you trying to gain from sheltering me?”

The rat scratched below his ears in a show of nonchalance. “What am I trying to gain, huh? That’s a toughie. I couldn’t just leave someone in the mud. So I took you under my care, and I didn’t feel like handing over someone I was lookin’ after.”

Youko wasn’t about to swallow that one. She knew all too well that trusting others easily would only lead to regrets down the line.

“Kaikyaku get sent off to the governor’s office. They either get thrown into house arrest if they’re lucky or beheaded if they’re unlucky. I’d say you’re the latter, Youko.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Your weird ability. The youma attacked when you were being escorted to the office, and that’s how you escaped, they say.”

“I didn’t make that happen.”

“I figured.” The rat nodded without argument. “The youma don’t follow orders from a human at the tip of a hat. You didn’t call them—they were trying to attack you. Am I right, Youko?”

“I don’t know,” Youko said hesitatingly.

“Anyway, as far as they’re concerned, you’re one of the bad Kaikyaku, since you attract the youma and all.”

“And?”

“Most likely you’re dead if you get sent to the governor. Makes sense you’d run, but do you have any clue where you’re running to?”

Youko didn’t reply.

“You don’t know, huh? Wouldn’t be hanging ’round these parts if you did. You oughta go to En.”

Youko stared back at Rakushun. The rat showed no expression whatsoever—at least, not one that Youko could read.

“Why?” she asked, breaking the silence.

“Leaves a bad taste watching someone get killed,” Rakushun said with a smile. “I ain’t so nice that I’d pity an obvious crook for being on the chopping block, but getting offed just for being a Kaikyaku? Now that plain stinks.”

“What is a bad Kaikyaku?”

“Good or bad comes down to what the officials think. I reckon they just dislike anything unfamiliar.”

“They say that the bad Kaikyaku will destroy the country,” Youko pointed out.

“That’s a superstition,” Rakushun said crisply.

Youko’s suspicion rose. She had encountered another person who declared that it was a superstition in much the same way. Unlike Rakushun, she was a human woman, but the point still remained.

“So why are you saying I should go to En? Will that save my life?”

“Yep. The king of En doesn’t persecute Kaikyaku. Over there, Kaikyaku live just like the other humans. That’s proof right there that Kaikyaku aren’t good or bad. That’s why I reckon you should go to En.” Rakushun paused. “Could you put that thing away now?”

After much hesitation, Youko lowered her sword.

“Take a seat. The tea’s gone cold,” Rakushun said.

Only then did Youko lower herself onto her seat. She had no idea what Rakushun had in mind. Now that her identity as a Kaikyaku was exposed, it was best to leave fast, but she wanted more details about the Kingdom of En.

“Do you know your way around these parts?” asked Rakushun.

Youko shook her head. Rakushun nodded and got off his seat, clutching a teacup. He came over to Youko, who was still clenching her sword, and leaned over the dirt floor.

“We’re in Kahoku. Anyou Prefecture.” Rakushun drew a crude map on the dirt. “This is the Kyokai, and Shin Prefecture is here. Hairou is around hereabouts, which means you walked west into the center of Kou. If you’re trying to leave the kingdom, you’re going the wrong way.”

Youko gazed down at the map with ambivalence. Could she trust its veracity? Even as doubts filled her mind, she stared at it and absorbed everything. She needed this information the most right now.

“To the west of here is the Nei Province. You’ll be in the Hokuryou Prefecture as soon as you get on the highway, and if you head northwest along the road, you’ll end up in a town called Agan. It’s a big port town facing an inlet called the Blue Sea.”

Rakushun’s tiny fingers drew the map and the accompanying place names with surprising adroitness.

“Agan has boats that cross the Blue Sea. En is on the other side.”

Rakushun wrote the corresponding characters. Apparently, “En” was written with the character for “wild goose.”

Rakushun went on, “You should head for Hokuryou first…”

But would Youko be able to board a boat? If the port was under surveillance, she’d be jumping straight into a net.

“Don’t worry.” Rakushun smiled, appearing to read Youko’s mind. “The fastest way to get out of Kou from Shin Prefecture is to head straight north and cross the mountains into Kei. The officials were even saying they doubted you’d come this way. You were lucky you got lost. There’s a wanted notice going around, but all it says is that you’re a young girl with red hair. Not even that flashy sword of yours is gonna expose you, I reckon.”

“I see.” Youko stood. “Thank you.”

Rakushun gazed up at Youko in puzzlement. “Hey, don’t tell me you’re gonna head out right away.”

“I’m in a hurry. Sorry for not being able to repay you.”

Rakushun stood as well. “Wait up. Don’t be so impulsive.”

“But—”

“What are you going to do when you get to En? Are you planning on walking around, asking random people about this Keiki guy? Do you know how to secure a boat or get protection once you’re in En?”

Youko averted her gaze. In her mind, simply having a destination made the journey that much smoother than everything thus far, but there were still steep hurdles ahead. In all likelihood, the things Rakushun mentioned were only the tip of the iceberg.

“Besides, you gotta make preparations. Don’t be in such a rush. Jump in too quick and you’ll get stuck later. You know?”

Youko dropped her head. Although a part of her feared this was a trap, her only choice for now was to rely on Rakushun.

“Rightio, let’s have some lunch. You need to build up your energy. It takes a month to reach Agan, after all.”

Youko lowered her head again.

She needed to stay put until her strength had fully returned, at the very least. By then, she would have figured out Rakushun’s intentions. Was he just naive, or did he have a deeper scheme planned? She had to get to En, to Agan. Now that Rakushun knew her goal, she couldn’t afford to let him get away.

“IT WAS A PRETTY BIG SHOKU, YOU SAY?” SAID Rakushun as he was cleaning up afterward.

“That’s what the headwoman of Hairou said,” Youko said curtly.

“I heard the east part of Shin lost its entire wheat harvest. I feel bad for them.”

Youko simply hung her head. She felt a slight stab of pain somewhere in her chest.

“Don’t feel down, Youko. It’s not your fault or anything.”

“I’m not down,” Youko said as she raked the coals on the stove.

Something tapped her hand lightly—a tail covered in short fur. “Kaikyaku don’t cause Shoku. The Kaikyaku come because a Shoku happened.”

Youko dropped the coals into a wooden box as Rakushun directed her to. She picked up the burnt wood chips that remained and put them in a separate box.

“There’s something I want to ask,” she said.

“What is it?”

“What is a Shoku?”

The headwoman at Hairou had mentioned it was something like a storm, but Youko still had no idea what it actually was.

“Oh, you don’t know about Shoku. You don’t have them on the other side?”

“We have nisshoku and gesshoku,” Youko said, referring to the solar and lunar eclipse.

“Sounds kind of similar, although the sun and moon don’t go away for us. Hm, I guess they’re like storms. A storm is a disturbance in the atmosphere, while a Shoku is a disturbance in the world itself.”

“Is there rainfall and heavy winds?”

“That can happen. The typhoon-like ones are nothing special by Shoku standards. They can cause earthquakes and thunder. They can make rivers flow upstream. They can even make parts of the ground suddenly sink. You know you’ve got a Shoku on your hands when a bunch of natural disasters all happen at the same time. In Hairou, a lake called Youchi overflowed, and now there’s nothing left of it.”

Youko stopped washing her hands so that she could drop the coals. “Are they really that violent?”

“Depends. To us, Shoku are scarier than storms. Can’t predict what a Shoku’ll bring.”

“Why do they even happen?”

Rakushun poured tea with a very serious expression, as if the task was of utmost importance. “They say a Shoku happens when you mix this side with that side. Disaster falls when two things that should have been separate come together. I don’t really understand it, but I think that’s how it works.”

“This side with that side…”

The tea in this house had a very similar color to green tea, although the scent was completely different. On the tongue, it tasted quite similar to a nice herbal tea.

“That side means the other side of the Kyokai. This side is here. Don’t got a name,” Rakushun said.

Youko nodded.

“The Kyokai surrounds the whole continent. There ain’t nothin’ on the other side.”

“Nothing at all?” Youko asked.

“Yep, nothing. The Kyokai goes on forever and ever. At least, that’s what they say. Apparently, some poor naive fellows went on voyages to see the end, but none of ’em returned.”

“Oh, so the world must be flat here.”

Rakushun cocked his head at Youko as he clambered onto his chair. “If the world wasn’t flat, we’d all fall off, wouldn’t we?” His exasperated voice sounded faintly amused.

“How is this world shaped?”

Rakushun picked up a walnut on the table. “There’s Mount Suu in the middle of the world.”

“Mount Suu?”

“It’s written with the character for ‘sublime.’ Some people just call it ‘the Sublime,’ or ‘the middle peak,’ or the ‘middle mountain.’ It’s surrounded by four mountains, one on each point of the compass. You can call them the ‘east peak’ or ‘east mountain’ and so forth, but it’s more common to call them by their names: Mount Hou, Mount Ka, Mount Kaku, and Mount Kou. The east peak was called Mount Tai a long time ago. I heard the king of the northern kingdom, Tai, changed the way it was spelled from ‘generation’ to ‘peace.’ People were afraid of that king, so they started calling the mountain Mount Hou instead. The five mountains are collectively known as the Five Great Mountains.”

“I see…”

“The Five Great Mountains are surrounded by the Yellow Sea. They call it a sea, but it’s got no water. I heard it’s a wasteland of mountains, deserts, swamps, and trees.”

Youko watched Rakushun trace the characters with his finger. “You’ve never seen it for yourself?” she asked.

“’Course not. The Yellow Sea is surrounded by the Four Vajra Mountains. The world beyond the Vajra Mountains ain’t no place for people to live.”

“Oh…”

Youko got the impression that the world looked like an ancient map from a fable.

“There are four inland seas on each side of the Vajra Mountains, and there are eight kingdoms around the seas. They’re surrounded by the Kyokai. There are four big islands close to the mainland. Between those four kingdoms and the eight on the mainland, there are twelve kingdoms all together.”

Youko peered at the walnut, which Rakushun had placed to represent the geography. To her, it also looked something like a flower. The Five Great Mountains formed the center, while the countries were positioned like flower petals.

“There aren’t any countries besides that?”

“Nope. It’s just the Kyokai. A sea that stretches aaaaall the way to the ends of the earth. But,” Rakushun added under his breath, “they do say that there’s a mysterious island at the very east end of the Kyokai. It’s a legend of sorts. They call that land Hourai—another name for it is Japan.”

As he spoke, Rakushun wrote the character for “Yamato,” the traditional name for Japan. It was also pronounced “Wa.”

“Wa? Japan?”

When written out, Japan was apparently Wa. Youko bit her lip slightly, feeling like she was getting a grip on how the translation worked.

“They say the Kaikyaku come from Wa,” Rakushun said.

This time, Youko heard it clearly as “Wa,” not “Japan.” Perhaps there was no need for translation once Youko knew the word.

“I don’t know whether it’s true or not, but apparently the Kaikyaku claim that’s where they’re from. Some folks tried setting sail for Wa, but…you guessed it…they never returned.”

If Japan really was on the other end of the Kyokai, then theoretically it was possible for her to get home by heading east on a boat. Having passed through the moon’s shadow, however, Youko knew that this method would not work.

“They also say that there’s a mountain range called Kunlun somewhere in the Vajra Mountains. That’s where there’s a place called China. The Sankyaku come from there,” Rakushun said as he wrote the traditional character for China, pronounced “Kan.”

“Sankyaku? So there are other people from my side here besides the Kaikyaku.”

“Yep. The Kaikyaku arrive from the Kyokai, while the Sankyaku show up at the foot of the Vajra Mountains. There aren’t many Sankyaku in this country, but they’d be persecuted just as hard as Kaikyaku, I reckon.”

“I see…”

“People normally can’t come and go from Kan or Wa. They say only ayakashi or the sages can do it. But when a Shoku happens, people from that side wind up over here. Those are Sankyaku and Kaikyaku in a nutshell.”

“Hmm…”

“Kan and Wa are rolling in wealth. Even peasants can live like royalty in those countries, they say. The people can race across the skies and cross a thousand ri a day. They have mysterious powers that can let anyone kill a youma, even a baby. The youma and sages use their mystical powers to travel to that side and drink from the springs deep in the mountains,” said Rakushun as he looked at Youko.

With an uneasy smile, Youko shook her head.

Rakushun’s story was a strange one, she thought. If she went back to her old world and told people about this one, they would call it a fairy tale. Likewise, this world had its own fairy tales. The notion brought a thin smile to Youko’s face. She had always thought of this world as a strange place, but she had to wonder if it was the world that was the aberration…or if it was Youko herself.

She knew the answer. At last, she understood why the Kaikyaku were persecuted.

FOR A SHORT WHILE, YOUKO’S MIND LINGERED ON the fates of countless Kaikyaku in years gone by.

“If they’re linked so closely to the Shoku, I imagine every Kaikyaku that washed up in Kou must have been killed,” she said finally.

“That’s how it seems to be, yeah.” Rakushun paused. “Say, Youko, what do you do for a living?”

“I was a student.”

Rakushun seemed deeply interested in this response. “Oh, nice. Some Kaikyaku have knowledge and skills that don’t exist here. They can live comfortably if an important fellow sponsors them.”

I see how it is, Youko thought with a self-deprecating smile. She did not possess the kind of knowledge that would revolutionize the world.

“Do you know a way back to Wa?” she asked.

Rakushun made an obvious grimace. “Got no clue… I probably shouldn’t be saying this, but…” He hesitated, then said, “I don’t reckon there is a way.”

“That can’t be right. If people can come here, then there’s got to be a way back.”

Rakushun’s whiskers drooped. His throat made a gulping noise. “People can’t cross the Kyokai, Youko.”

“But they have. That’s how I’m here.”

“They can come, but they can’t go. I haven’t heard a single story about a Kaikyaku or Sankyaku going back to where they came from.”

“That…can’t be.”

She just couldn’t accept the words “you can never return.”

“What about a Shoku? If I wait for a Shoku, wouldn’t I be able to go home?” Youko insisted.

Rakushun shook his head forlornly. “Nobody knows when or where a Shoku will happen. And even if you did know, you can’t use a Shoku to get to the other side.”

That can’t be right, Youko thought. If it really wasn’t possible to return, then Keiki would have mentioned it, but he said nothing of the sort. She never got the impression from his attitude that a return trip was off the table.

“A Kochou chased me out of Wa…”

“What? A Kochou? And you got away from it by coming here?”

“Yes. Because of a man named Keiki.”

“That’s the fellow you’re looking for?”

“Yes. Keiki brought me here. To be precise, he said I needed to come here for my own protection because the Kochou and the other youma were after me,” Youko explained, looking at Rakushun. “Wouldn’t that mean I can go back when the need to protect me is over? He even said he would send me back home if that’s what I really wanted.”

“Wow…”

“He had a beast with him that could fly through the air. It could talk just like you, Rakushun. He said a one-way trip took a day. The way he phrased it makes me think that he was thinking of the return trip as well. At least, he didn’t outright say that it was impossible… What do you think?”

Despite Youko’s logical argument, however, Rakushun did not answer for a while.

“Rakushun?”

“I don’t really get it…but it sure sounds like you’re wrapped up in something big.”

“Is it really that big of a deal?” Youko asked hesitantly.

“Sure sounds like it. It’s always a big drama when a Kochou shows up. They can even wipe out a village. And this idea of a Kochou going outta its way to target someone on the other side—that’s the first I’ve heard of it.” Rakushun paused. “So this Keiki guy got you to this side, eh?”

“Yes.”

“I hear even the ayakashi and sages who can go back and forth can only do it by themselves. Whoever this Keiki fellow is, he’s gotta be on a different level if he can bring someone here and back. I dunno what happened to you, but what I can say is it ain’t normal.” Rakushun seemed to ponder something before turning his jet-black eyes to Youko. “So what do you wanna do? Are you more interested in staying outta danger or going back to your home?”

“Going back,” Youko said, to which Rakushun nodded.

“Figured as much. But I dunno how you’d do that. Either way, you’re best off going to En.”

“Okay. And then?”

“An ordinary official or governor isn’t gonna help with your problem. I reckon you’ll need the king of En.”

Youko gazed vacantly at the characters Rakushun drew. Instead of the character for “wild goose,” which was the name for the country of En, Rakushun had written the character for “extend.” Both were pronounced “En.”

“That’s how the king’s title is written?”

Rakushun nodded. “Has been for generations.”

“But would a king lend me his aid?”

“I dunno.”

You’ve got to be kidding me, Youko wanted to exclaim, but she suppressed the impulse with effort.

“But hey, it’s way better than sticking around in Kou. You’ve got a better chance with the king of En than the one here. The king of En is a Taika, after all.”

“Taika?”

“‘Womb’ and ‘fruit.’ Refers to people born on the other side. It happens very occasionally. They’re meant to be from this side, but they’re born on the other side by mistake.”

Youko’s eyes widened. “That happens?”

“Yep. But it’s really rare. Although I can’t say whether it’s rare for people from our side to be born over there or if it’s rare for them to come back here.”

“Hmm…”

“We’ve got three famous Taika over here: the king of En, the Saiho of En, and the Saiho of Tai.”

“Saiho?”

“They’re kinda like advisors to the king. I heard the Saiho of Tai died not too long ago. The king went missing, and the country’s in shambles. Not a good idea to go there. So yeah, En’s your best bet.”

Youko was a little dazed—partly because she struggled to absorb all of this sudden new information, but also because of the sheer size of the obstacles she foresaw ahead of her.

Visiting a king felt like paying a house call to a prime minister or president. Was that even possible? She had to wonder if her case was special enough to warrant it.

She was still deep in thought when she heard footsteps coming from the front of the house.

THE FIGURE THAT APPEARED AT THE DOOR BELONGED to a middle-aged woman.

“Rakushun.”

The rat lifted his head upon hearing his name being called. “Hey, Mom.” His whiskers bounced. “I picked up a weirdo.”

Youko could not help her confusion—the woman looked unmistakably human.

For her part, the woman also looked between Youko and Rakushun in astonishment. “You picked someone up? What’s the story with this girl?”

“Found her in the forest. She got blown over here by the Shoku in Shin Prefecture.”

The woman made a small sound of surprise as she looked at Rakushun’s face. Her expression stiffened.

Youko shrank back. Had this woman heard about the escaped Kaikyaku from Shin Prefecture too? If so, would she choose to shelter Youko like Rakushun had?

Youko watched with bated breath.

“Sounds like she’s been through a lot,” the woman said finally, turning to smile at Youko. Then she looked back over her shoulder at Rakushun. “You rascal! You should’ve called me back if you had a guest around. Have you been taking proper care of the girl?”

“Sure I have.”

“I doubt it.” The woman’s lips curled up. When she turned her gaze to Youko, the smile was still in her eyes. “Sorry, my dear. I was out on business. Has Rakushun been a good host to you?”

“Uh…yes.” Youko nodded. “He helped me when I had a fever and couldn’t move. I’m very grateful.”

The woman’s eyes widened as if to say, “Oh my!” She rushed over to Youko. “Is it okay for you to be up already?”

“I’m fine. I really am grateful,” Youko replied as she looked searchingly at the woman’s expression, not letting her guard down for an instant.

Rakushun was fine—he was an animal. The woman, though, was suspicious. Youko was afraid to trust her.

“You really should have called me if she was sick. I don’t remember raising a witless boy,” said the woman.

Rakushun raised his nose sourly. “I said I took proper care of her. She’s a lot better now.”

The woman peered at Youko’s face. “Better, is she? Isn’t it hard for you to be up? Shouldn’t you be getting some more bed rest?”

“I’m fine now.”

“Really? My goodness, you’re dressed so lightly. Rakushun, get her some clothes.”

Rakushun hurried into the next room.

“And the tea’s gone completely cold! Wait a minute, dear. I’ll pour you a fresh cup.”

Youko watched as the woman shut the door firmly on the inside and briskly strode off to the well. When Rakushun reemerged with a light jacket in his arms, Youko whispered to him, “Is that your mother?”

“Yup. Don’t got a dad. He died a while back.”

Was Rakushun’s father a human or a rat?

“Is she your real mother?” Youko asked hesitantly.

Rakushun looked puzzled. “’Course she is. She plucked me.”

“Plucked?”

Rakushun nodded. “From the Riboku—the village tree. I came from one of its fruit.” At this point, Rakushun blinked and said, “Wait, is it true that kids on your side come outta their mom’s tummy?”

Youko blinked too. “Yes, that’s right.”

“Can you even grow fruit inside a tummy? How would you even go about pluckin’ it? Does it dangle outta the belly?”

“I don’t know what you mean by pluck.”

“You take the Ranka from the tree.”

“Ranka?”

“The egg fruit. It’s about this big.” Rakushun mimicked holding a baby. “It’s yellow, and it’s got a kid inside. They grow on the Riboku branches, and the parents go pluck them off. You don’t got Ranka on your side?”

Youko rubbed her temples lightly. This was very different from the conventional wisdom of her world.

Rakushun peered at Youko quizzically. “Seems not…”

Youko smiled sheepishly. “On the other side, children grow inside their mothers’ bellies. The mother births them.”

Rakushun’s eyes boggled. “What, like birds?”

“It’s a bit different, but kind of similar?”

“How does that even work? Are there tree branches inside people’s bellies? How do you pluck fruit from inside a belly?”

“Hmm…”

Just as Youko was practically drilling holes through her temples, Rakushun’s mother returned.

“Rightio. Let’s get you some tea. Are you hungry, dear?”

Rakushun’s mother grilled her son about Youko as she whipped up a snack that vaguely resembled a steamed bun.

“So, yeah,” said Rakushun as he picked up a large clump of steamed bun with his tiny hands. “I was telling her it’d be a good idea to go to En.”

His mother nodded. “Yes. That is a sound plan.”

“So I’m gonna take Youko to Kankyuu. Could you give her some stuff to wear?” said Rakushun.

His mother’s expression visibly stiffened.

“What? Oh, Rakushun…”

“Don’tcha worry about me. It’s just a little trip. I’m showing a guest around who doesn’t know the area. I’m sure you’ll be fine by yourself since you’re so sensible and all.”

Rakushun’s mother looked at him for a while and then nodded. “Fine. You take care of yourself, you hear?”

“Rakushun,” Youko cut in, “I appreciate the thought, but I couldn’t possibly impose so much on you. You can just tell me where to go, and I’ll manage.”

She couldn’t say aloud that she was afraid of having a traveling companion.

“You could write that map you made earlier down for me,” she went on. “It would take up some of your time, though. I’m sorry.”

“Youko. Getting into En is one thing, but you definitely won’t get an audience with the king by yourself. Even if you know the way, it takes over three months to get to Kankyuu. What are you gonna do about food? Lodging? Do you have money?”

Youko fell silent.

“It’s definitely not a journey you can make alone. Especially if you don’t know a thing about this side.”

Youko pondered the matter. After a great deal of hesitation, she nodded.

“Thank you,” she said as she eyed the bundle containing her sword from the corner of her eye.

True, bringing Rakushun along would be helpful. At first glance, it appeared that he and his mother were trying to help her, although that wasn’t necessarily the case. As long as they knew where she was headed, she could not leave them alone before she determined whether they were friends or foes. If they reported her to the officials as soon as she left, then there would be a trap waiting for her in Agan, not a boat.

Rakushun would serve as a hostage against the woman. If at any point Rakushun became a threat to her, she could let her sword do the talking.

Just the very thought made a dim part of her feel like a terribly pathetic creature indeed.

THEY LEFT RAKUSHUN’S HOUSE FIVE DAYS LATER. Since both mother and son kept up the friendly act, Youko decided to take the opportunity to rest up. “You have no idea what they’re thinking,” the blue monkey taunted her. Youko was well aware of that.

Rakushun’s mother took care of all the travel preparations. Despite the fact that her house looked shabbier than Takki’s, she even managed to procure clothes for Youko, albeit plain ones. They were large on Youko and meant for men to wear, so they might have belonged to Rakushun’s late father.

This fanned Youko’s suspicions further. She did not think that anyone would go to such lengths out of simple kindness. Rakushun, she could swallow. At least outwardly, he wasn’t human. Youko did not have it in her to trust his mother, however.

“Why are you going so far for me?” she asked, unable to contain her suspicion any longer. She could only bring herself to ask this when Rakushun’s house had finally disappeared from view.

Rakushun played with his whiskers using his tiny arms. A large bundle, wrapped up in a cloth, was strapped to his back. “Like I said, Youko, you can’t get all the way to Kankyuu by yourself.”

“Don’t you think you could have just told me the way?”

“Aww, don’t you worry. Kankyuu ain’t bad for sightseeing. I hear it’s a pretty interesting place. I mean, it’s got a lot of influence from the other side. Makes sense, since that’s where the king’s from.”

“Wa or Kan?”

“Wa. That’s where the king came back from.”

“That’s the only reason?”

Rakushun looked over his shoulder and up at Youko. “You trust me that little, huh, Youko?”

“Aren’t you being too nice?”

The rat scratched the thin furs on his chest. “As you can see, I’m a hanjyuu.”

“Hanjyuu?”

“A half-beast. The king of Kou doesn’t like hanjyuu. Same deal with the Kaikyaku. He hates anything out of the ordinary.”

Youko simply nodded.

“There aren’t too many Kaikyaku in Kou, y’see. Most of them wash up in the east, so I guess you could say there’s more of them there, but the actual number is pretty small.”

“How many?”

“Let me think… About one person every three years or so, I’d say.”

That was more than she thought. “I see…”

“It’s Kei that gets the most Kaikyaku—it’s the farthest east, after all. Next is En, then Kou. Kou doesn’t have too many hanjyuu either. Dunno why that is.”

“Are there more of them in other countries?”

“Plenty. At least, not as rare as here in Kou. I’m pretty much the only hanjyuu hereabouts. Our king isn’t a bad one, I oughta say, but he’s extreme about his likes and dislikes. You’ve seen what he’s like with Kaikyaku, and the hanjyuu don’t have it much better,” Rakushun said, his whiskers bouncing. “Not to brag, but I’m the smartest around these parts.”

Youko looked at Rakushun, not understanding what he was trying to say.

“I’m good at learning and figuring stuff out,” Rakushun explained. “Plus, I’ve got a good temper.”

Youko smiled slightly. “I see.”

“But I still ain’t considered a proper citizen—’cause I’m only half a person. That was decided the moment I was born. But it ain’t my fault, y’know?”

Youko gave a little nod. She understood vaguely what he was trying to say, but it did nothing to defuse her suspicion.

“Kaikyaku have it the same. It’s why it raises my hackles when Kaikyaku are killed just for being Kaikyaku.”

“Right.”

This time, Rakushun scratched the fur below his large ears. “You know the district school? I got the best grades there and even got recommended for the provincial academy—that’s the school in the Jun Province. If only I could’ve gone there, I could’ve been a local official or something.”

“Is the district above the prefecture?”

“It’s above the county. There are a few districts per province, although the number depends on the province. Each district has fifty thousand housesand four counties. The counties have 12,500 householdsand five prefectures.”

It was hard for Youko to wrap her head around fifty thousand households.

“I wasn’t actually meant to go to the district school in the first place. Mom pushed really hard to get me in. Good grades could get me into higher education, and from there I could become an official. I don’t get a rice field since I’m not a proper citizen, but I could still make a proper living. But they don’t let hanjyuu into the provincial academy.”

“I see.”

“Mom sold her own field and house so that I could get into the district school.”

“What does she do now?”

“She’s a housemaid. The rich folk hire her to tend their personal land.”

“Personal land?”

“The authorities give out public land. If you get permission, you can cultivate your own land too. Oh, but it’s only Mom who works—I ain’t allowed to. Nobody hires hanjyuu. There’s a crazy tax on it, y’see.”

Youko tilted her head. “Why?”

“’Cause some hanjyuu are part bear or cow or something, and they’re stronger than your average human. But I reckon it’s ’cause our ruler has a grudge against hanjyuu.”

“That’s awful…”

“It’s not as bad as Kaikyaku have it. It’s not like people are out to arrest me or kill me. I just ain’t counted as human, so I can’t get a rice field or a job. My mom works to support the both of us. That’s why we’re poor.”

“I see…”

“I want a job,” Rakushun said as he pointed at the money pouch hanging from his neck. “This is the money Mom saved so that she could send me to a provincial academy in En. There, even hanjyuu can go to university—the highest level of education—and become an important official. I can be a full-fledged citizen, get a rice field, and even get added to the family registry. To be blunt with you, I was hoping that I could get a job in En if I take you there.”

So he isn’t a saint, just like I figured, Youko thought cynically. Rakushun’s intentions might not have been ill, but they were not completely benign.

“I see how it is.”

There was an obvious barb in Youko’s tone, prompting Rakushun to stop in his tracks. For a while, he peered at Youko, but that was all he did. He did not say a word.

Youko also stayed silent, not contributing any further to the conversation. At the end of the day, everyone was out for themselves. Even acts of kindness could be exposed to have selfishness at their core; Youko bore no resentment about Rakushun’s admission.

Ah, she thought. People betray others because they’re just thinking of themselves. Nobody would ever dedicate their life to another person, and that’s a fact.

THAT EVENING, THEY ARRIVED AT A TOWN CALLED Kakuraku. It was as big as Kasai.

Although this was not Youko’s first time traveling with a local, this journey was distinctly more frugal than the previous one. They ate exclusively at food stalls and slept at the cheapest inns. For fifty sen per night, they stayed in a large room with a partitioning screen for privacy. Of course, Youko was not going to complain when Rakushun was providing all the travel funds.

Rakushun passed Youko off as his brother. Perhaps he thought that no one would question it given that he had a human mother. And indeed, no one batted an eyelid.

It was an easy journey at first. Rakushun told her a lot of things on the road.

“The Twelve Kingdoms are made up of four greater nations, four provincial nations, and four outer nations.”

Youko looked back at Rakushun as he trotted behind her. “What are the four greater nations?” she asked.

“Kei to the east, Sou to the south, Han to the west, and Ryuu to the north. It’s not that they’re necessarily bigger or better, but that’s what they’re called. The four provincial nations are En, Kyou, Sai, and Kou—that’s where we are. The four outer nations are Tai, Shun, Hou, and Ren.”

“So their full names would be the Outer Kingdom of Tai, the Outer Kingdom of Shun, the Outer Kingdom of Hou, and the Outer Kingdom of Ren?”

“Yup. And the kings all have their own unique titles. Kou’s one is written by combining the characters for ‘highland’ and ‘monarch.’ The palace is in Gousou, located in the Ki Province. It’s called the Suikou Palace.”

“Gousou? Is that a town?”

“Yup,” said Rakushun as he pointed with his left hand at a mountain visible in the distance.

The nearby land was very precipitous. Tall hills jutted in the distance where Rakushun pointed, and beyond them, Youko could see the vague outline of a tall and forbidding mountain range.

“It’s all the way past that range. There’s a mountain that reaches up into the heavens—that’s Mount Gousou. Suikou Palace is at the peak, and the town at the foot is called Gousou.”

“Hmm…”

“That’s where the king presides. He appoints the provincial lords, proclaims the laws, and allots land to the people.”

“What do provincial lords do?”

“They’re in charge of the land, the citizens, and the military of each province. Basically, they enforce the laws, document the citizens, collect taxes, and maintain an army to deal with any disasters.”

“You mean that the king doesn’t actually do any governing?”

“The king’s job is to give the orders to the lords.”

Youko didn’t really get it, but it sounded kind of like America’s system.

“The king decides the laws. They’re called Land Edicts. The provincial lords can make laws too, but they can’t go against the Land Edicts. And the Land Edicts can’t go against the Alms Edicts.”

“Alms…what?”

“The rules that the heavens bestow upon the king so that they can reign. If the world’s a tent, then the Alms Edicts are like the steadfast ropes that support it. That’s why they’re sometimes called the Heaven Edicts or the Steadfast Edicts. Even kings have gotta abide by ’em. As long as they do that, they can rule their countries as they please.”

“Hmm, so who decides the Steadfast Edicts? Is it really a god?”

Rakushun smiled as if to say, “Who knows?” “A long time ago, there were thirteen states: nine ordered states and four barbarian states. The Lord Above destroyed them all, leaving behind five gods and twelve people—everyone else returned to eggs. The Lord Above made the Five Great Mountains in the center of the world and gave them to the Queen Mother of the West to rule over. Then he turned the area around the Five Great Mountains into the Yellow Sea and sealed the five gods into the five seas, turning them into the Dragon Gods.”

“An origin myth, huh?”

“Pretty much. And the Lord Above gave the twelve people their own tree branches. The branches bore three fruit with a snake twined around them. The people uncoiled the snakes and held them into the air. When they fell to the ground, they made the land, the kingdoms, and the thrones. The branches turned into writing brushes.”

This was very different from the various origin myths that Youko was acquainted with.

“The snakes represent the Steadfast Edicts, the land represents the family register, the kingdom represents the law, the throne represents the path of benevolence—in other words, the Saiho—and the brushes represent history,” said Rakushun as his whiskers bounced. “I wasn’t born back then, so I can’t tell you whether it’s true or not.”

“I see.”

Although Youko had read plenty of books about Chinese myths when she was a child, she barely remembered any of them. But she could definitely tell that this story differed greatly from those books.

“So the Lord Above is the most important deity?” Youko asked.

“I guess so.”

“Who are you supposed to pray to? The Lord Above?”

Rakushun cocked his head at “pray to.” After pausing in thought, he said, “If you’re praying to have kids, the Lord Above is the one you ask.”

“Are there other gods? Like, for harvests?”

“Lessee… For harvests, I guess you’d pray to the High Emperor. There’s plenty of other gods people worship. If you wanna avoid floods, you ask the Engineer Emperor. For avoiding youma, there’s the Yellow Emperor.”

“So there’s a variety?”

“Yep. Plenty of ’em, now that you mention it.”

“You don’t normally pray?”

“Nah. If I want crops, I’d look out for good weather, get home, and tend the fields. It’s up to the heavens’ whims whether the skies are good or bad. Rain or shine, it’s got nuthin’ to do with your attitude or your prayers.”

This puzzled Youko a little. “But wouldn’t it be a problem for everyone if it floods?”

“The king manages the waterways so it doesn’t flood, y’know?”

“What about frost damage to the crops or something?”

“The king’s got that covered. He manages the grain to ensure we don’t end up with food shortages.”

Youko really didn’t get it. Rakushun’s logic was very different from what Youko understood about humanity.

“So you don’t pray to pass an exam or get rich?” she said.

It was Rakushun’s turn to look puzzled. “Isn’t that about putting the effort in? Why would you need to pray for that stuff?”

“Because, well… I suppose you’re right.”

“You’ll pass an exam if you study for it, and you’ll get money if you work a job. I don’t see where prayers come into it.”

Just as Youko pasted a noncommittal smile on her face, a sudden thought made her expression freeze.

That’s it.

People didn’t pray to gods or believe in luck in this place—which was why they wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to sell a Kaikyaku for a bit of cash.

“I see how it is,” she muttered.

Even she could tell that there was something cold in her tone. Rakushun appeared to notice this as well, because when he looked up at Youko, his whiskers drooped in dejection.

It certainly made sense for Rakushun to be proud of his knowledge and quick wit. He was undeniably clever—perhaps it was difficult for him to live his entire life as a burden to his mother simply because he was a hanjyuu.

Rakushun seemed inclined to ask Youko about herself and Japan, but Youko deliberately avoided speaking about it.

The attack happened on the sixth day of their journey.

IT WAS CLOSE TO EVENING WHEN THEY SPOTTED Goryou, the town where they planned to stay the night.

Travelers crowded the area in front of the gate, appearing to be in a hurry. Youko slipped into the crowd, quickening her pace. She was only about five hundred meters away from the gate when drums started playing from within, urging the last stragglers inside. It was clear that the doors would close once the drums stopped.

As everyone rushed for the gate, someone in the jostling crowd cried out, “Ah!”

That was when it started.

Prompted by the voice, one or two people looked behind themselves and up at the sky. Here and there, more people stopped in their tracks, stemming the human tide. Puzzled by this, Youko looked over her shoulder too. By then, the silhouettes of giant, eagle-like birds swooping down upon them were all too plain to see. They had horns on their heads. And there were eight of them.

“Kochou!” somebody screamed.

At this, the crowd surged toward Goryou. Youko and Rakushun broke out into a sprint, but the Kochou were clearly faster.

The large gates began to close, ignoring the flood of people.

Oh no!

Some people had the guts to try fending off the flying monsters, but it was all pointless once the gates closed on them.

“Wait for me!” someone shouted.

“Don’t shut us out!” another exclaimed.

The screams swirled together in the eddy of chaos. Youko hastily pushed Rakushun out of the human wave.

It was a good thing that they were some distance away from the gate. Nearer to the front, people howled in desperation as they pushed others aside and trampled on them in their attempts to get ahead.

Youko and Rakushun split off slightly from the crowd. As she ran for the town, Youko smiled faintly to herself. This was a country where people did not rely on the gods. They would not cling to their religion, even if a youma attacked them. And so they would rush to get ahead, even if it meant pulling down the person in front of them. They would close their gates, even if it meant abandoning travelers.

Could people only survive a youma attack if they were strong? Vigilant?

“Fools,” Youko said.

These people were clearly pushovers, then.

Hearing the sound of a baby’s cry nearby, Youko stopped in her tracks. Rakushun, running near her, looked back over his shoulder and cried, “Youko! It’s hopeless!”

“Get to town, Rakushun.”

The Kochou were now close enough that Youko could make out the mottled pattern on their chests. As Rakushun squinted up at the Kochou, Youko pointed him toward the gate and removed the sword from its cloth wrapping.

A familiar sensation crawled down her skin. Youko had gotten completely accustomed to Jyouyuu’s presence.

A cocky smirk descended upon her lips.

It’s not hopeless.

Kochou were easy to handle. There were only eight of them, and Youko’s sword could cut through even the thickest flesh. Their huge size only meant that they were easier targets, not to mention that since the birds glided through the air, the distance between them was simple to gauge.

It was curious that Youko smiled upon finally confronting an enemy after so long. Her wounds had long since healed, and she had enough stamina to feel confident in her victory. It was strangely gratifying to hear the screams of the hapless people behind her—the people who would have been hunting her,the Kaikyaku.

She readied her sword against the flock of Kochou as they swooped upon her, bringing a foul stench with them. The blood pounded inside her body—the sound of the raging sea.

I’m a beast.

I must be a youma.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t be so thrilled to cross paths with an enemy.

The slaughter began—for Kochou and humans alike.

She took down one Kochou, then another. By the time she had finished off half of them, the road was paved in blood.

The fifth Kochou, she beheaded. She evaded the sixth as it hurtled down toward her. Having missed Youko with its claws, the bird lashed out at a traveler far behind her and soared back into the sky.

Youko worked to thoroughly defeat the beasts. She had long grown accustomed to the stench of blood and the sensation of cleaving through flesh and bone. The sight of dead human bodies no longer affected her. She dodged her enemies precisely and picked them off one by one. The only thing she was careful about was avoiding as much of the blood spray as possible.

Upon felling the seventh Kochou, Youko looked up at the sky. The eighth one hadn’t swooped. It still circled above her as if hesitating about something.

The sun rapidly started to set. The silhouette of the monstrous bird was like a black curtain in the rust-colored sky. Even with Jyouyuu’s power on her side, Youko could not pursue the Kochou into the air.

“Come down, darn it,” Youko muttered to herself.

She needed it to fall into the range of her claws.

As she glared at the circling figure, she took stock of her surroundings through the corner of her vision. If these monsters had appeared during the light of day, it meant that the blonde woman had to be around. She strained her eyes for a hint of gold.

In her current state, Youko could apprehend the woman if she was nearby. As soon as she was in Youko’s clutches, Youko would demand what she was after. And if she wasn’t willing to talk, Youko would make her talk—even if it meant cutting off an arm.

Youko’s train of thought astonished her. What was this savagery? It was as if her true nature as a beast had been lurking right underneath the surface the whole time. Or perhaps all the bloodshed had gotten to her head…

The figure overhead abruptly made a sharp turn. Seeing it finally descend, Youko gripped the sword hilt tighter in her hand. Before she could raise her arm, however, the bird made another sharp turn and resumed its circular motion in the air.

“Come down!” Youko yelled.

Why was a youma of all things scared for its life? Hadn’t it been attacking humans this whole damn time?!

Youko lifted her sword and stabbed the dead Kochou at her feet.

“If you’re too chicken to come down, how about I slice up your friend here?!”

As if understanding her words, the Kochou suddenly swooped like an arrow. Its sharp claws clashed against the sword as Youko pulled it out of the corpse, sending sparks flying.

Youko stabbed the Kochou’s feet and the bird let out a strangled cry, flapping its wings. The pressure from the wind threatened to sweep Youko off her feet, but she held her ground firmly, withdrew the sword, and thrust it up at the Kochou’s torso. As soon as she felt the blade stab into its body, she darted to the side, pulling the sword out along with her. Blood sprayed all over where she had stood just moments ago.

With no energy left in its wings, the bird hurtled to the ground. The rest was easy. Youko struck it a few more times and finished by slicing its head off. When she swung her sword in a wide arc and wiped the blood off her face, absolutely nothing moved around her.

The road was littered with bodies—and not just those of the Kochou. Scores of people had fallen to the ground in heaps. Not all of them appeared to be dead, given that Youko could hear moaning voices.

As she gazed impassively at the scene around her, Youko wiped her sword on a nearby Kochou’s head. Only then did she remember she wasn’t alone.

“Rakushun?!”

Sweeping her gaze around Goryou, she saw that the town’s gates were open very slightly. The guards who came running out of the opening looked tiny at this distance.

As she trailed her eyes across the span between her feet and the gate, she spotted a fallen animal some distance away. His brown-gray fur was stained dark red with blood.

“Rakushun…”

Just as Youko was about to run over to him, she looked at the gate again. The guards who came running outside and the people on the field were all yelling something, though her ears could not pick out what it was.

Her eyes flitted between Rakushun and the gate.

Although she was not close enough to gauge the severity of Rakushun’s injuries, she could tell that not all the blood on his fur came from the Kochou that had fallen near him.

Youko gripped the jewel that hung from her neck. She had no idea whether it worked on others or if it was like the sword and only reacted to Youko. But if it did work on others, she could use it to save Rakushun.

Even as that thought raced through her mind, her feet would not move. She stood stock-still, fingers gripping the jewel.

The best thing for Rakushun was for her to race over to him, check his condition, and try using the jewel’s power on him if it was serious. But the guards were so close—they would be here by the time she could press the jewel to Rakushun’s body. Youko definitely stood out as the sole person standing amid a heap of fallen bodies. If the guards watched the battle from afar, then they would know that the Kochou had been targeting Youko—and that she was the one who slayed them. She was guaranteed to be treated with suspicion.

Her sword had no scabbard. They would figure out after just a bit of digging that her hair was dyed. Her identity as a Kaikyaku would be swiftly exposed.

But if she ran away from here…

She looked at the fallen, unmoving furry body.

Would Rakushun report her if she abandoned him? He could easily reveal that she was carrying a thin, wrapped-up object, that her hair was dyed, that she was wearing men’s clothes, and that she was on her way to the Kingdom of En via Agan. Just like that, the net would tighten around her. However, she did not possess the arm strength to carry him while running.

Backtracking was the right thing to do for Rakushun’s safety. And thinking of her own safety…

Her heart thumped painfully loud.

I should run back and finish off Rakushun…

Her heart quailed at the very thought.

There’s no time to hesitate, another voice within her rebuked. If Rakushun didn’t keep his mouth shut, then Youko would lose her path to survival. She could not afford to go back for him—that would just be throwing her life away. She couldn’t leave him alone either. That would also pose a risk to her. Which meant…

If she did go back, her best course of action would be to pilfer Rakushun’s money pouch. That would allow her to escape her predicament entirely. She might have the time for that—and only that.

The gates opened wide; more people streamed out. Seeing a crowd running her way, Youko instinctively retreated.

Once Youko was on the move, she couldn’t stop. She looked back. Behind her, she saw travelers running from the road. Slipping in among them, Youko departed the scene.

I’M SURE IT’LL BE FINE. I THINK, YOUKO TOLD HERSELF as she walked briskly down the darkening road.

When the sun set completely and the traffic on the road had ceased, she broke out into an unabashed sprint. She arrived at a crossroads and turned away from Goryou, distancing herself from it and the town she had departed from that morning.

Even after making significant headway, Youko’s feet did not stop moving. She felt as if something would come rushing on her heels if she failed to hurry.

It’ll be fine, she told herself.

If Rakushun tattled on her, she wouldn’t be so easy to identify in a country that didn’t even have photographs. Not to mention that Rakushun had sheltered her; he wouldn’t speak up about an escaped Kaikyaku out of fear of being captured himself.

As her mind worked frantically to reassure herself, Youko’s legs kept moving.

It felt like a gaping hole had opened in her chest.

No, she had other things to think about.

Would Rakushun be okay? Although his injury didn’t look deep, what if it actually was serious?

You should go back, a voice inside her said. At least make sure that Rakushun is okay before you run away.

It’s too risky, another thought chimed in. Even if she did go back, it wasn’t as if she could do anything.

You have the jewel! a voice shouted at her.

But there was no guarantee that the jewel would help Rakushun with his wound. Besides, he might already be dead. If she went back, the authorities would catch her. If she got caught, she would die.

Do you value your life that much?

Who wouldn’t value their life?

You would abandon the person you owe your life to?

He might not have done that out of the goodness of his heart.

But that doesn’t change the fact that he saved you. Rakushun sheltered you—a fugitive.

He had ulterior motives. He’s no saint. People like that will always betray me.

Are you going to abandon someone just because they’re not a saint? Can you really live with yourself for doing that? He was injured. You know him personally, and you’d still abandon him? If you were going to leave him there, shouldn’t you have at least tried to help him? Then you would’ve known for sure if he was dead.

Platitudes won’t get you anywhere in this country. If you pull the short straw, you’re screwed.

It’s not a platitude. We’re talking about what’s common sense for a human being. Have you even forgotten that?

Oh, so now you’re going to act all high and mighty? What were you doing before then, huh? Huh?!

“Go back and finish him off.”

Youko jumped at the unpleasant voice. She saw the blue monkey’s head in the grass straight to the side of the road.

“Didn’t that thought cross your mind?” the monkey pressed.

“Ah…”

Youko stared at the blue monkey. Her entire body quivered.

“You were thinking of finishing him off, yes? What gives you the right to start talking about what’s ‘right’ as a human being now? You’re too far gone!” The monkey gave a crazed screech of laughter.

Youko finally found her voice. “No…”

“Don’t give me that. You were definitely thinking it.”

“That…wasn’t what I wanted to do.”

“Yes, it was.”

“But I didn’t actually do it. I…can’t!”

The monkey cackled. “That’s because you’re afraid of committing murder. You wanted to kill him, but you just didn’t have the guts to do it.” The monkey let out another high-pitched screech and gazed gleefully at Youko. “You couldn’t do it today, but don’t worry. You can kill someone next time.”

“No, I won’t!”

The blue monkey laughed, ignoring Youko’s shout. The shrill noise stabbed her ears mercilessly.

“I’m going back,” Youko said.

“What’s the point? He’s long dead by now.”

“You don’t know that for certain.”

“Oh, he’s dead. There’s no point going back—you’re just walking to your death.”

“But I have to go back.”

“Oh? You think that’ll make your crime go away?”

Her feet stopped in the middle of turning around.

“You can go back. Go back and cry over his dead body. That’ll make up for the fact that you thought about killing him.”

Youko stared at the cackling face, dazed. This was her—the blue monkey was her own petty, selfish voice speaking. These were her true and unvarnished thoughts.

“He would have betrayed you for sure. Good of you to do him in first.”

“Shut up,” Youko mumbled.

“Those guards could be headed for you right this second, y’know. I bet the rat tattled on you.”

“Shut your face!” Youko exclaimed. She gripped the sword hilt and swung, but she only succeeded in cutting the grass. The blades of grass closest to her flopped to the ground.

“Hopefully, he’s dead. It would’ve been perfect if you had the courage to finish him off. You’re still too soft.”

“Don’t you know when to quit it?!”

“You’ll get ’em next time. When you’re in a situation like that again, I know you’ll land the finishing blow.”

“Enough already!”

Another swing—the grass scattered.

How could she finish him off?If just abandoning him weighed so heavily on her heart, how was she supposed to live with herself if she killed him? Was anything permissible for the sake of survival? Did it matter how low she stooped as long as she lived another day?

“I’m glad I didn’t kill him…” Youko was thankful she didn’t rashly give into temptation and actually commit the deed.

The monkey burst into shrill laughter. “You’re fine with letting him live? You’re okay with him ratting you out? Ehh?”

“I don’t care if Rakushun does that!” The tears racking her chest finally spilled forth. “He’s well within his rights to do that. If he tells the authorities about me, fine!”

“You’re so naive.”

Why was she unable to believe in anybody? She didn’t need to take everything at face value, but she could have at least believed in the rat after everything he had done for her.

“It’s because you say such naive things that you set yourself up for betrayal,” said the monkey.

“I’d rather be betrayed.”

“How soft.” The monkey’s cackling laughter reverberated into the night. “Really? Is that how you really feel? Are you fine with being such an easy mark?”

“I don’t care if I’m betrayed. It just means that the person who betrays me is the despicable one. It doesn’t hurt me. I’d rather be betrayed than become a despicable traitor myself.”

“Who cares if it’s despicable as long as you win in the end? This country is a hive of lowlifes. Nobody’s going to be nice to you here. There’s no such thing as a good person, after all.”

“But that doesn’t affect how I act!” Youko insisted.

Just because she was backed into a corner and treated poorly, did that mean that she had to reject everyone? Was that a reason to abandon someone who had shown her goodwill? Was it impossible for her to believe in somebody unless they were an absolute saint? Was she only capable of showing kindness to others if they showed her the utmost kindness first?

“That’s ridiculous.”

Whether Youko believed in somebody and whether that person betrayed her were two separate things. Likewise, Youko could be kind to somebody without that person being kind to her in return. Even if she was all alone in this wide world without a single friend to help or comfort her, that was no reason at all for her to distrust others or cruelly abandon them—much less harm them.

The monkey broke out into hysterics. Its piercing laughter rang on and on.

Youko’s hand squeezed the hilt of her sword. “I…want to be strong…”

It did not matter to her what everybody else did. She wanted to be strong so that she could live her life with pride.

The monkey abruptly stopped laughing.

“You are going to die. You will never return home. Nobody cares about you. They will trick you and stab you in the back—and you will die.”

“I won’t die.”

If she died now, it would be as a scumbag and a fool. She could not accept her end in such a deplorable state. It would be all too easy for her to submit to a worthless existence, but she refused to take the easy way out.

“You will die. You will be exhausted by hunger. They will cut off your head, and you will die,” the monkey insisted.

Youko swung her sword with all the strength in her body. The tip sliced through the grass and struck air—and then she felt a strong reverberation through her hand. The monkey’s head came flying out among the scattered grass. It hit the ground and rolled over, spraying blood where it went.

“I won’t lose. I swear it…”

Her tears did not stop.

After Youko finished wiping her face with a stiff sleeve, she spotted a gold light by her feet. For a moment, she gazed at it vacantly, not understanding the meaning of what she saw.

It was there, sitting on the blood-splattered earth where the blue monkey’s head had once been. Something she’d lost a long time ago.

A scabbard.

Chapter Six

“UM, DO YOU HAPPEN TO KNOW…” YOUKO HELD her hand out at roughly a child’s height. “A person who looks like a rat, about this big?”

The traveler, an old lady, looked at Youko suspiciously. “What? A hanjyuu?”

“Yes. I heard he got injured yesterday in front of the gate.”

“Ahh, from the Kochou,” said the old woman, looking over her shoulder. The town of Goryou was visible in the distance. “Let’s see… You ought to try the governor’s ward. They’re treating the injured from yesterday over there.”

It was the same answer Youko had been hearing all day. She returned to Goryou after dawn, but security was terrifyingly strict. Although she would have gone to the governor’s ward if she could, she could not simply waltz inside a place like that.

“Have you tried the governor’s ward?” the old lady asked.

“Yes… He doesn’t appear to be there,” Youko replied.

“Then he’s probably out back,” the old lady said.

The dead bodies were lined up behind the town. Youko had gazed upon it from afar, but security was tight there as well, and she couldn’t get close enough to see if Rakushun was there.

The old lady walked off, heaving a massive bag onto her back. After watching her go, Youko grabbed hold of the next travelers exiting Goryou.

“Excuse me…”

They were a man and woman traveling together. The man used a walking stick to get around and had a cloth wrapped around his leg.

“Um…”

Youko asked the same question she had just asked the old lady. The pair gazed at her dubiously.

“I heard there were injuries yesterd—”

“Hey, you,” the man said, suddenly pointing at Youko. “Are you that girl from—”

Youko spun around before the man even finished his sentence.

“Hey! Wait up!”

Ignoring the man’s shout, Youko quickly weaved her way through the crowd and made herself scarce. The man must’ve been injured the day before. And he remembered Youko…

She had escaped from multiple scenes like this today. Every time it happened, the guards in front of the gate multiplied, making it harder to approach the town.

Youko retreated into the mountains away from Goryou and waited for the fervor to die down. She knew that she would get caught sooner or later if she kept this up, yet she could not bring herself to leave the vicinity.

What am I going to do if I do hear about Rakushun?

Even if she did find out that he was okay, it would not make up for how she abandoned him the day before. The damage was already done. Besides, she couldn’t even enter the town to apologize if she did hear that he was fine. The guards would catch her the moment she got inside—and being captured was pretty much her death sentence.

I don’t know what to do.

She felt as if she was placing too much importance on her stained existence. On the other hand, she did not think it was right to carelessly throw her life away either.

Until her mind was made up, she could not leave Goryou.

After much wandering and wavering, she was back at the gates of Goryou for the umpteenth time. She had asked a few more travelers the same question and received the same answers.

Just as she was feeling stumped…

“Excuse me,” a voice called out to her from behind.

Youko’s first impulse was to run. When she twisted around to look over her shoulder, she saw a mother and daughter looking at her with ambivalent expressions.

“Didn’t we meet you in Bakurou?”

Youko stopped in her tracks, temporarily dazed. It was the pair she met that day on the mountain road. They were still carrying the same large bags characteristic of traveling snack vendors.

“Well, good. I’m glad you’re okay,” said the mother. Her smile betrayed her mixed feelings.

The guilt and relief were even more pronounced on the little girl’s face as she gazed up at Youko. “Are you all healed up now?”

Youko hesitated, then nodded. Upon dipping her head, she decided to lower it even further. “Thank you for what you did for me back then.”

She had brushed them off when they tried to help her, choosing to delve deeper into the mountains instead. Although she had thanked them with words, she had failed to express her heartfelt gratitude.

“I’m so glad. I was wondering what happened to you.” The mother smiled, this time with unabashed relief. “See, look, Gyokuyou. They turned out fine.”

The mother looked down at her daughter, who was trying to snuggle up against her. The little girl kept looking up at Youko with wide, guilty eyes. Youko attempted a smile, which made her realize that it had been a long time since she last used those facial muscles. They felt so stiff that she got the impression she failed miserably at the task.

Gyokuyou blinked a few times, then a pout formed on her face as she tried to hide behind her mother’s back. Youko squatted in front of her.

If these two hadn’t given her that stick of syrup, she might not have lasted the night.

This time, Youko managed to form a slightly more proper smile. “Thanks for the water and candy.”

The little girl’s eyes flitted between her mother and Youko, and then she gave a little smile back. The girl must have thought it was weird of her to smile, because her expression soon clouded again, but then she finally broke out into a fit of giggles. It was the endearing smile that only a child could make—Youko almost teared up at the sight of it.

“Really, thank you,” said Youko. “I’m sorry I didn’t thank you properly before.”

Gyokuyou flashed her a toothy grin and asked, “Did it hurt?”

“Huh?”

“You had such a bad injury, Mister. Didn’t it make you feel bad?”

Youko blinked and then said, “Yeah. Yeah, it did. I’m sorry.”

“But it doesn’t hurt anymore?”

“Yeah. It healed up.”

She showed the girl her healed-up scar. She wondered if Gyokuyou and her mother would figure out that her injury had healed up too quickly.

Gyokuyou looked up at her mother. “Wow, he’s all better,” she said.

The mother’s eyes crinkled as she looked down at her daughter. “I’m so glad. We thought of going back to look for you when we got to Bakurou, but the village was closing its gates right about then. The local guards were too cowardly to go out at night.” Then, she asked Youko, “Are you looking for someone?”

Youko nodded.

“We’re just on our way to Goryou. Would you like to come with us?”

Youko had no choice but to shake her head.

“Okay,” the mother said simply. “Come along, Gyokuyou. Let’s head for an inn.”

She pulled on her daughter’s hand, then looked at Youko.

“Who was this person you’re searching for? A hanjyuu, right?”

Youko looked back at her.

“He should be in the governor’s ward or out back, right?” the woman went on. “What’s his name?”

“Rakushun,” Youko said after some hesitation.

“Just wait around here. I’ll go look for him,” the mother said with utter nonchalance as she hoisted the bag around her back.

Youko bowed deeply in return. “Thank you so much.”

The woman returned alone around nightfall. All she said before she headed back to Goryou was that nobody of Rakushun’s description was among the injured or dead. If the woman knew Youko’s identity, she made no indication of it.

NOW THAT SOMEONE HAD CHECKED THE TOWN for her, it was time for her to concede. Had Rakushun left Goryou while Youko was unaware, or had the woman failed to notice him? There was no way of knowing for certain.

From where she stood on the road, Youko lowered her head in Goryou’s direction. She had to accept that this was some kind of punishment. She couldn’t abandon everything here—that was the one thing she couldn’t do.

Her nocturnal lifestyle resumed once more. She walked at night and slept during the day. Since that comprised the bulk of her travels, Youko only knew the country’s landscape at night.

She had no money because Rakushun had been carrying the funds. Youko did not feel particularly upset about this; she was all too accustomed to a life of battling youma and starvation. Just having a destination in mind was good enough for her. She would go to Agan and cross the sea to the Kingdom of En. The only thing she had to think about was getting enough money to ride the boat.

Counting backward, she estimated that she had wandered the roads for a month after the old Kaikyaku stole her belongings in Takkyuu. That was how far the jewel’s power could sustain her without eating or drinking. With that knowledge at hand, this leg of the journey was far easier than her prior experiences.

The blue monkey no longer reared its head. With the scabbard back, the sword no longer showed visions either. She heard the occasional faint dripping sound, and light would peek through the gap between the hilt and scabbard, but Youko didn’t entertain the thought of deliberately drawing the sword from the scabbard to watch the vision. Instead, she walked silently ahead, urged ever onward.

What a wretched piece of work you are! Do you really value your pathetic life that much? She heard the blue monkey’s voice inside her heart as she walked. Given that the monkey was the manifestation of Youko’s negative thoughts, its voice rang out loud and clear even without a physical form.

She did value her life, yes.

It can’t be worth much if you’re lowly enough to abandon the person who saved your life.

“At least for now, I’m going to value my life. I made that decision.”

Wouldn’t turning yourself in to the authorities be the perfect way to atone for your crime?

“I’ll think about it when I get to En.”

She felt as if she could hear the cackling.

So basically, you only care about saving your own hide.

“I do. I have to look out for myself when I’m being hunted. I can think about what kind of person I want to be when I no longer have to fear for my life. That’s when I’ll think about ways to better myself and atone for what I’ve done wrong.”

She was only surviving. For now.

You’ll kill youma and threaten people with your sword?

“For the time being, I just have to resign myself to the situation and think about what I have to do to get to En as quickly as possible. Once I’m there, I’ll at least make sure that I don’t point my sword at anyone who pursues me.”

You think going to En will solve all your problems?

“Of course not. For starters, I have to find Keiki, and I need a way to get back home. I have a lot of things to think about.”

Do you still believe Keiki is on your side? Hm?

“I’ll find out when I meet him. I won’t think about it until then.”

Finding Keiki won’t get you home.

“I won’t give up until I find out for certain that it’s impossible.”

Are you really that desperate to go home? Nobody’s waiting for you, you know.

“I’ll do it anyway…”

In her former country, Youko had lived her life for the sake of others’ approval. She wanted everyone to like her. She was afraid of being hated, and she feared conflict more than anything. The thought of being scolded made her flinch. Looking back, she had to wonder what was so scary about any of that.

Perhaps she wasn’t cowardly as much as simply lazy. Youko found it easier to do what other people said instead of thinking for herself. Playing the part of the “good girl” to suit others was easier than examining herself and butting heads with other people.

Hers was a lazy and despicable way of being. It was why she wanted to go back home and try it all again. She would live a better life next time. She wanted the chance to prove that to herself.

As she waged a silent war with her own thoughts, her feet trekked onward.

The rain intensified. Perhaps it was now the season for it. It was excruciating to sleep outside on rainy days, so she learned to stop at huts and beg for shelter. Some were willing to lend her a corner of their barns, while others demanded payment from her. Some called the guards, and still others attempted to gang up on her. On the other hand, some people were kind enough to offer her a meal despite their own frugal lifestyles.

These experiences taught her how to pay for her lodgings with her labor. In exchange for staying the night, she would work at the house the next day. The jobs ranged across all manner of descriptions: helping tend the rice fields, cleaning house, small chores, assisting with livestock, cleaning the barns, digging graves, and so on.

After working for days on end, she’d saved up a small stash of money. And so she walked from hut to hut, working where she could and using her sword to escape from trouble. Since the hut owners grew more vigilant whenever the guards were called, Youko would have to put up with camping outdoors until the fuss died down.

There were the frequent youma attacks to contend with as well. Over time, the encounters seemed to increase, though she no longer particularly minded the fights.

After a month of traveling, Youko spotted what appeared to be guards on her tail.

Staying at peoples’ homes and interacting with the owners meant leaving a trail wherever she went. Given it was an inevitability in her mind that anyone inclined to track her down would catch up to her eventually, Youko wasn’t particularly bothered. She could slip away from her pursuers by running into the mountains, but she would often spot guards whenever she returned to the highway.

Her one fear was that they would seal up Agan, so as she approached the town, she refrained from sleeping under strangers’ roofs. She also took care to avoid drawing attention to herself on the road and stuck to traversing the mountain paths.

Rakushun had said that it would take a month to get to Agan, but in reality, it took Youko two months before she spotted the port.

“EXCUSE ME,” YOUKO SAID TO A TRAVELER OUTSIDE the gates of Agan.

The town was located at the bottom of a gently sloping hill. It hung over the port, providing a good view of the sea.

The Blue Sea was as blue as its name suggested. The rolling waves appeared white against the clear, azure waters. The peninsula curved all the way around the coast, as if hugging the land itself. White sails dotted the sea. Far off in the distance, the horizon appeared like a straight line. It was a peculiar sight, given that the world was apparently flat.

The gates of Agan connected to multiple highways. It was a sizable town, with a lot of people coming in and out. Slipping into the crowd, Youko spoke to a man approaching old age, who appeared to be the agreeable sort.

“Excuse me, but could you tell me how to get onto a boat bound for the Kingdom of En?”

The man gave her very detailed instructions, right down to the type of boat and the fare. Youko had scraped together just enough money to afford the trip to En.

“When does the boat depart?” Youko asked.

“It’s a five-day trip. You’ll have to wait three days for the next boat.”

She was careful to ask about the departure time as well. If she made a mistake and got shut out of the port, then everything would be for naught. Having asked everything she could think of, Youko bowed her head.

“Is that so? Thank you so much, sir.”

She left Agan and spent two days in the mountains. The day before the boat would set sail, she approached the gates of Agan once more.

Security was tight. Given that she had to spend a night in the town, there was no way for her to avoid suspicion. The guards looked at Youko’s cloth-wrapped sword, which now had a proper home in its scabbard. Regardless, she could not avoid attracting attention seeing as not many travelers wore a sword.

If not for this, her risk would have been significantly reduced. She had considered throwing it away in the Kingdom of Kou, but she did not want to do that even if she could. The weapon was an absolute necessity as long as the youma were after her. Besides, the guards wouldn’t become hostile simply because of the existence of a sword, so she didn’t think there was much benefit in throwing it away.

She wrapped her sword in cloth and stuffed it in her baggage along with grass clippings from the mountains, which made it unrecognizable as a sword at first glance. Clutching her bundle, she crept along the road that evening and waited for her chance.

As soon as she sat down on the road, a middle-aged man called out to her, “Hey, kid, what’s up?”

He was alone.

“Nothing. My leg just hurts a little,” Youko replied.

The man scowled in suspicion and hurried for the gates of Agan. Once he was gone, she crouched down again and waited for people to call out to her. On the third try, she found her target.

“What’s the matter, dear?” someone asked.

It was a married couple with two children.

“I feel…kind of sick,” Youko said with a downcast face.

The woman put her hand on Youko’s body. “Are you okay?”

Youko simply shook her head. If she couldn’t win the couple’s sympathy here, then she would have to ditch the sword and expose herself to even further danger. Naturally, all the tension made her break out into a cold sweat.

“Oh dear. Agan’s right there down the road. Can you walk that far?” asked the woman.

Youko gave a small nod.

The man offered his shoulder to Youko. “Here, hold on. It’s not far. You can do it.”

With a nod of assent, Youko put a hand on the man’s shoulder. When she stood up, she deliberately dropped her baggage. When Youko tried to reach out for it, the woman stopped her hand and picked it up for her instead.

She cast a glance over her shoulder at her children. “Hold this. It’s not heavy,” she said, handing them the bag. The son and daughter both nodded very seriously.

“Can you walk? I can call a guard over for you,” said the man.

Youko shook her head. “Sorry. I’ll be fine. The person I was traveling with went on ahead to get an inn.”

“I see.” The man smiled. “So you’ve got a traveling companion. Good to hear.”

Youko nodded and leaned very lightly on the man’s shoulder to walk. The man seemed reticent to help her, but to anyone looking from outside, it might appear that he was doting on her by lending her his shoulder.

They approached the gates. Several guards stood by the side, inspecting the stream of people hurrying in. Youko pushed onward. She felt the guards’ gazes on her, but nobody called out to stop her. Once she got through the gates, she took a few steps before finally letting out the breath she was holding. Peering gingerly over her shoulder, she saw that the gatekeepers were far enough away for her face to be indistinguishable.

Thank goodness.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Youko let go of the man she was clinging to. “Thank you so much. You made it easier for me.”

“Are you okay? Should we escort you to the inn?”

“No. I should be fine now. Really, thank you.”

She bowed deeply. Sorry for lying, she thought,locking the words in her chest.

The couple exchanged glances and told her to take care.

There were refugees in droves, even in this town. Afraid of attracting suspicion if she stayed at an inn, Youko sat down in an open area under the walls and spent the night there.

When dawn finally broke, Youko walked to the port. There was a shabby pier at the far end of town, where Youko spotted a sailboat. It looked small to her, but it was larger than the others docked at the port.

“That’s it…”

Her breath catching in her chest, Youko approached the boat—and then stopped in her tracks. There were guards inspecting the travelers lining up to board.

For an instant, her vision swam in darkness. The guards were opening up the passengers’ belongings and peering inside.

If it were possible at all, she did not want to discard the sword. She reached a spot hidden from view, but she could not bring herself to approach any further. She trained her eyes on the passengers and guards.

Should I throw away the sword?

It meant losing a way of protecting herself, but it was better than staying in the Kingdom of Kou. This thought brought her to a pool of water not too far away.

She could not make up her mind. This sword connected her to Keiki—losing it would sever that connection, which also meant losing her connection to her homeland.

What do I do?

However much she agonized, she could not reach an answer.

Youko swept her eyes across the port. Was there any way to get to En without abandoning the sword? She saw a few smaller boats docked at the port. Would she have to steal one of them?

I don’t know how to sail a boat.

She had heard that the Blue Sea was an inland sea, which meant that she would reach the other side eventually, even if she had no idea how long it would take.

Just as she was getting dizzy from racking her brain, the loud sound of drumming abruptly reverberated through the air.

Startled, she looked up and saw that the sound was coming from the ship’s deck. She knew it was the signal that the boat was about to leave. The line of travelers was already gone, and the guards now stood around idly.

I’m not going to make it in time.

If she ran for the boat now, the guards would catch her. There was no time to untie her bag and take out the sword. Even if she were to throw out the whole bag, she would be regarded with suspicion for trying to board a ship empty-handed. Gripped by panic, her legs refused to move. Standing as stiff as a pole, she watched as the ship raised its sails.

When the sailors removed the plank connecting the boat to port, Youko finally sprang out from her cover. The guards watched as the boat began to glide away. She ran, but she could not get near.

Youko gazed vacantly at the departing craft, its white sails burning into her retinas.

I could jump into the sea right now.

This rash thought brayed across her mind, but her body refused to move.

If only I could get on that boat, I could get to En.

All she could do was clutch her bag and watch, wide-eyed, as the boat set forth. The shock of letting this chance slip by left her reeling, and she could not even get back onto her feet.

“What’s wrong? Miss your boat?”

The sound of a coarse voice snapped Youko back to her senses.

Her eyes spotted a small boat moored beneath the wharf. Four men worked on the deck, and one of them was gazing up at Youko.

Youko nodded, her face stiff. The next boat wouldn’t come for five days. Those five days would determine her fate.

“Can you jump, kid? You can hitch a ride.”

For a moment, Youko looked at the boat, not comprehending the meaning of what she had just heard.

“You’re in a hurry. Right?”

Youko nodded. The sailor gripped the end of a rope connected to a stake on the cliff.

“Gimme a hand getting that rope off and jump on board. We’ll catch up to that boat at Fugou. Work for us and we’ll get you there,” said the sailor. His colleagues flashed her smiles.

Youko nodded fervently. She untied the rope coiled around the stake near her feet and clutched it tightly as she jumped onto the deck.

This boat carried cargo from Agan to an island in the north called Fugou. Located at the northern edge of the Kingdom of Kou, it took a whole day and night to reach it from Agan. From there, there weren’t any other stops until the Kingdom of En.

Youko had never ridden a boat besides a ferry on a school trip. This was her very first experience on a sailboat.

She scuttled around the deck, picking things up and putting them away. She followed every order, even when she didn’t quite understand what she was doing. Once they were out on the open sea and things started to settle, she was tasked with odd jobs like fashioning a simple hot pot for a meal. Eventually, they tasked her with rubbing a senior sailor’s foot—evidently, they were scraping the bottom of the barrel for tasks at that point.

Youko only gave vague replies when the sailors asked her about her circumstances. “You’re an untalkative kid,” they laughed, leaving it at that. She was grateful that they chose not to pry.

After a whole day and night of uninterrupted sailing, the boat arrived at Fugou’s port early the next morning.

The boat that had set off for En ahead of theirs was quietly docked at the port. The sailors had squeezed Youko for everything she was worth throughout every minute of the trip, and they rewarded her by stopping beside the passenger boat. They called out to the sailors next door and convinced them to lower a pole and let Youko on board. When she finished the short journey, the sailor who handled the negotiation for her tossed her a tiny bundle.

“A steamed bun. Eat it inside,” he said with a wave.

Youko held the bundle with one hand and waved back with the other. “Thank you.”

“You were a hard little worker. Take care now, you hear?”

With cheerful smiles, the men pulled up the fender, which Youko herself had lowered. They were the last people Youko saw in the Kingdom of Kou.

THE BLUE SEA WAS BIG ENOUGH AMONG INLAND seas that it wasn’t possible to see the other end of shore. When Youko stood on the deck, she inhaled the scent of sea breeze and gazed upon the sparkling blue waters. It seemed no different from any ordinary sea.

After departing from Fugou, the boat made a straight course to Ugou on the other side of the shore. This leg of the journey was a three-day trip.

At first glance, the En coast looked identical to its Kou counterpart. The differences only became apparent as the boat drew nearer. The port and the city behind it were massive in scale—far bigger than any town Youko had seen in Kou. Other than the lack of multistory buildings, the cityscape looked hardly different from the cities she knew from her old country. A good portion of the other travelers on deck must have been seeing Ugou for the first time as well, because they gaped just like Youko did.

The walled town of Ugou wrapped around the port like a box. The town gently sloped upward toward the mountain directly facing it. Bright ornaments hung off the buildings, giving the cityscape a rose-colored hue from afar. Towering buildings that looked as if they were made of stone dotted both the outer and inner parts of the town. One was clearly a clock tower, which Youko found quite striking.

The port itself was very neatly arranged, putting Agan’s to shame. There were far more docked boats as well. The whole area thrived with activity. With all the masts standing proudly together and the white and light maroon sails adding color to the scene, it was a beautiful sight. To Youko, who had escaped a brutal land at last, nothing else could possibly compare.

The boat stopped off right in front of a bustling street; men worked busily, children scampered around doing all kinds of jobs, and people of all descriptions hawked their wares. There was a restless, agitated rhythm to it all.

As she stepped off the boat, Youko scanned the stream of people. This was the kind of town that buoyed a person’s spirits, she thought. Everyone’s faces were full of vigor, and the same was probably true of Youko.

Caught up in the jovial mood, she could not have anticipated what happened when she stepped off the pier.

“Youko?” a voice she never expected to hear again called out to her.

She spun around in shock. Standing there before her was a fluffy brown-gray creature. His thin whiskers seemed to shine like silver in the midday sun.

“Rakushun!”

The rat cut through the crowd and made his way to the flustered Youko. His small, pink hand clasped hers.

“Oh, good, you got over here just fine,” he said.

“H-how…?”

“If you get on the boat at Agan, you’re guaranteed to end up in Ugou. I waited for you.”

“For me?”

Rakushun nodded. As Youko stood there, immobile, he tugged her hand.

“I waited a while at Agan, but I didn’t see you around, so I figured I’d go on ahead. Gosh, it felt like you were never gonna show up. I checked every boat that arrived. But still, I figured you were gonna make it here somehow, even if you took your sweet time,” said the rat as he looked up at Youko with a smile.

“But why?”

Rakushun’s back curled as he lowered his head in apology. “I was careless. I should have given you the money, or at least half of it. It must have been tough for you to make it all this way. I’m really sorry.”

“But I…I abandoned you and ran away, you know?”

“That was my mistake as well. I was totally sloppy,” said the rat with a self-effacing smile. “You made the right call by running. What were you gonna do if the guards caught you? I would’ve told you to run and given you my pouch, but I was out cold, y’see.”

“Rakushun…”

“I was wondering what happened to you. I’m glad you’re okay.”

“I didn’t abandon you because I was out of options,” Youko said.

“Oh?”

“Yeah. I was afraid of traveling with company. I couldn’t bring myself to trust anyone. I thought everyone on this side was my enemy. That’s why…”

Rakushun’s whiskers twitched. “Do you see me as an enemy right now?”

Youko shook her head.

“Then we’re all good,” Rakushun told her. “Let’s go.”

“Don’t you resent me for betraying you?”

“I think you’re a bit of a dummy, Youko, but I ain’t mad at you or anything.”

“The thought of going back to finish you off crossed my mind.”

Rakushun stopped walking. “Listen, Youko.”

“Mm-hmm.”

“To be level with ya, I was a little upset when I realized you’d left me behind. Just a little. I knew you didn’t trust me. You never stopped startling at any tiny thing I did. But I figured I could just give it some time. That’s why I was kinda down when you skedaddled, ’cause it meant you never saw where I was comin’ from. But it’s fine, since you understand now.”

“No, it’s not. You deserve better.”

“Trusting you was my call. I wanted to do it. I’m happy if I get trusted back, and I’m sad if I don’t. That’s my problem, and no one else’s. Whether you trust me or not is up to you, Youko. You might gain something if you trust me, or you might lose out instead. But that’s your decision to make.”

Youko hung her head down. “Rakushun… You’re amazing…”

“Hey, c’mon. What’s with you all of a sudden?”

“I sulked right away when I got betrayed. I cried and moaned about having no friends,” Youko explained.

“Youko.” Rakushun’s tiny hand tugged on Youko’s arm.

“I could never be as good as you…”

“You’re wrong about that.”

“No, I’m not.”

“You’re wrong, Youko. I didn’t get washed up in a strange land. Nobody chased me around. Nobody was out to get me.”

For a while, Youko stared at Rakushun’s face as he peered up at her.

Rakushun smiled. “You really hung in there, Youko. Seems like you’ve grown up some.”

“Huh?”

“I spotted you straight away when you got off the boat. There’s this look about you now—somethin’ that makes it impossible to miss you in a crowd.”

“What, me?”

“Yup. Now let’s get going, all right?”

“Get going? Where?”

“To the prefectural governor. S’posedly if you deliver a Kaikyaku to the governor, they’ll arrange accommodations or something. You can ask one of the authorities to write a letter. They were kinda anxious since you weren’t showin’ up. I went to the city office too, and that’s what they told me.”

“Wow, you did all that?”

Youko felt as if there were doors opening for her, one after another.

“THIS TOWN SURE IS LIVELY…” YOUKO MUSED.

Between the large crowds and the vendors shouting about their wares, the streets constantly bustled with energy.

“Surprised?” said Rakushun.

“Yeah.”

“I heard the Kingdom of En was well-off, but it’s another thing actually seeing Ugou for myself,” Rakushun said.

Youko nodded. The streets were wide, and the city’s scale was similarly spacious. The surrounding walls were ten meters thick, and shops lined the walls on the inside. It somewhat resembled the view underneath a railroad overpass.

The buildings were made of wood, standing three stories tall. Their roofs rose high into the sky, and every window had glass. There were other large buildings here and there that were made with brick or stone, which gave the town a peculiar sort of look that wasn’t simply limited to a Chinese style.

One could see drains on both sides of the stone-paved roads. There were parks and wide-open spaces. Everywhere Youko looked, she saw sights she would never find in the Kingdom of Kou.

“I feel like a total country bumpkin,” she remarked as her eyes swept the surroundings.

Rakushun smiled. “Same here. Although I actually am a country bumpkin.”

“The walls have so many layers of fortification too,” Youko pointed out.

“Hm?”

Youko pointed at the tall walls, which were visible here and there past the houses and shops.

“Oh, right,” said Rakushun. “Technically, the perimeter walls are the ones on the outside and the ramparts are the ones on the inside. You don’t see many towns in Kou with ramparts. Ah, there’s a bit of perimeter wall over there. I guess it was left over when the town expanded.”

“I see.”

There were refugees from the Kingdom of Kei living underneath the ramparts and in the plaza, but they had neat and trim tents in a uniform style, so it didn’t look too disorderly. Rakushun explained that the town provided the tents as a means of support.

“Is this the capital of the province?” Youko asked.

“Nah. It’s the county capital.”

“Is a county one step below a province?”

“Nope. It’s two steps below. The villages are at the bottom; they’ve got twenty-five households each. Then you have the clanships, the townships, the prefectures, the counties, the districts, and then the provinces. A district is a collective of fifty thousand houses.”

“How many districts does a province have?”

“Depends on the province.”

“If this place is the county capital, then the district and province capitals have to be even bigger.”

Districts and provinces had their corresponding governor wards. Cities with a district governor ward were also called district capitals or district castles. The “fifty thousand households” in a district was apparently an administrative division, and there weren’t specifically fifty thousand of them. Regardless, it was the norm for clanship villages to be bigger than ordinary villages, district cities to be bigger than county cities, and province cities to be bigger than district cities.

“Why are En and Kou so different?”

Rakushun gave a grimacing smile. “Comes down to the ruler’s status.”

“What do you mean, their status?” Youko asked, looking back at Rakushun.

He nodded. “They say the current king of En is uncommonly wise. His reign’s come up to about five hundred years now. The king of Kou’s only been in power for fifty years. Totally different standard.”

Youko blinked. “Five…hundred years?”

“About as long as the king of Sou’s reign. The longer the reign, the better the king. Sou’s a rich country too, I hear.”

“A single king…can reign for five hundred years?”

“’Course. The kings are gods, not humans. The heavens entrust the kings with ruling the countries based on their abilities. That’s why a competent king gets a longer shake of the stick.”

“Wow…”

“Any country gets into trouble when there’s a change in kings, so a country with a good king is lucky. The king of En is a particularly sharp guy who enacted a bunch of reforms. The king of Sou also has a reputation for wisdom, but they say Sou’s more of a calm country—En’s all bustling.”

“You can say that again.”

“Yup. Oh, that’s the county building.”

Rakushun pointed at a large brick establishment. Although the walls and eaves had a Chinese design, nobody would object to calling it a Western-style building. The interior was also a mix of Western and Chinese trappings.

When they left the governor’s office, Youko had one thing to say. “Amazing.”

Rakushun nodded. “For sure. I knew Kou was harsh on Kaikyaku, but I didn’t realize En’d be this different.”

Youko nodded too as she held the wooden tag she received from the governor’s office over her head. The front had a red seal with the words “Issued in Ugou, Shuyou County, Haku District, Kei Province” written in black ink, and the back had Youko’s name on it. It served as her ID.

An official at the county office had asked Youko routine questions such as her name, address, and occupation in her former country. Surprisingly, they even wanted to know her postcode and telephone area code. They handed her the tag after that.

“By the way, Youko, uh… What’s a postcode and area code?” Rakushun asked.

Rakushun had asked the official the same question, but they didn’t seem to know the answer. Replying that it was a custom, they opened up a book with Japanese-style bookbinding. Peeking from the side, Youko saw that it was a list of numbers in woodblock prints. The official checked the numbers with what was in the book before issuing the tag.

“A postcode is attached to people’s addresses. It’s where you send letters. An area code is a number you use when dialing someone’s phone.”

“What’s a phone?”

“I guess you could say…it’s a tool that lets you talk to people when they’re far away.”

Rakushun’s whiskers twitched. “Wa has things like that? But why would they ask you about those numbers?”

“Only someone from Wa would know them. That’s how they can tell for certain if you’re a Kaikyaku or not. Otherwise, people could lie about being Kaikyaku.” Youko smiled as she pointed at the tag.

“Okay, that makes sense.”

Youko could only use the tag as ID for three years. She had to decide her occupation and address for formal registration before it expired. In exchange, she would be able to use public schools and hospitals for free during her three-year grace period. She would also apparently receive a stipend for living expenses if she went to the Kaishin, which was what they called the bank.

“What an incredible country.”

“You said it.”

Where Kou had been destitute, En was full of abundance. Not only that, but the tag suggested that the king of En was not a narrow-minded man.

Although Rakushun had said that Youko could ask the king for help, it was up in the air whether that was truly possible. Even now, it was still a question, but she got the impression that he wouldn’t refuse her out of hand or punish her for asking.

THERE WERE PLENTY OF ANIMAL PEOPLE ON THE streets, just as Rakushun said there would be. There was something endearing about seeing animals walk on their hind legs in a crowd. Some of them even wore human clothing, which brought a smile to Youko’s face.

Apparently, Rakushun had been working at the port as he waited for Youko. The work involved repairing boats, he recounted cheerfully.

Rakushun got his first job because he met Youko. He said that he didn’t mind staying at Ugou until the work dried up, and his employers said they were fine with hiring him temporarily because he was up-front about the fact that he was waiting for someone.

The day after her boat came in, Youko and Rakushun left Ugou and set off for Kankyuu. Youko’s stipend was modest yet certainly more than a pittance, which meant that she had plenty for the journey. They walked on the road during the day and went into the towns to secure lodgings at night. Every town in En was large, and the fact that the inn fees were standardized meant that the quality of lodging was always a step above what she could expect in Kou.

Their journey was peaceful and uneventful. Nobody chased after Youko anymore, but it took her some time to stop quailing in fear whenever she spotted a guard. Although she never stepped out of the towns after dark, from what she heard from chatting with other people, youma hardly ever attacked travelers—even at night.

One day, when Youko was bathing, Rakushun went out for a walk and heard about a certain Kaikyaku. This happened on the eleventh day of their journey, when they were a third of the way to Kankyuu.

Although Rakushun told her that she could afford to dress a little nicer now that they were in En, Youko still dressed in male attire—a round-necked robe called a “hou,” apparently. It was more comfortable for her now that she had gotten used to it; she didn’t feel like wearing the longer women’s robes.

Her fashion choices naturally meant that people assumed she was a boy, which made bathing a trial. The inns at En had baths that resembled communal saunas, which Youko obviously could not use. She had to put up with using hot water in the privacy of her room. Since she had plenty of travel funds, she made sure to stay at inns with proper rooms, though she felt it was a waste to splurge on two. She ended up sharing a single room with Rakushun, although perhaps it was a bother for him whenever she drove him out of the room for her baths.

Washing her hair in a tub, she realized that it was now rather long. It had been quite some time since she came to this world. Takki had dyed her hair by using the grass roots in her garden. Youko tried to find plants that would produce a similar look, and through trial and error, she discovered that the type of grass and methods of dyeing produced different results.

Whenever Youko washed her hair afterward, it would always dilute the color. At the moment, it looked hardly any different from the original red, although she had gotten used to that peculiar shade now. She still felt strange looking at herself in the mirror, but it wasn’t so bad that she couldn’t bear looking at herself directly. Only now, after all this time, did she really take a proper look at herself as she washed her body and changed her clothes.

Afterward, Rakushun came back and told her about what he had heard. “They say there’s a Kaikyaku at Houryou, the county castle just up ahead.”

For just a moment, Youko’s eyes flickered up, but then she quickly lowered them. “Oh,” was all she said.

She had no desire to meet this Kaikyaku. She didn’t feel the need to avoid them, but it was extra crushing to be disappointed by a fellow countryman.

“They call him Rakujin Heki.”

“Rakujin…Heki?”

“Yup. S’posedly, he’s a schoolteacher.”

So he’s not the old guy, Youko thought. When she stopped to think about it, there was no way it could have been him, but the confirmation still relieved Youko somewhat.

“You’re gonna see him, right?” Rakushun looked at Youko with guileless eyes.

“I suppose I should, huh?”

“Then you’re going?”

“Yeah…”

The next day, they swerved off the road to Kankyuu and headed for Houryou.

The prefecture had schools for basic learning, and the counties had elementary schools. In the Kingdom of En, these elementary schools were apparently separate from the learning facilities aimed at people who wanted to progress to the district schools, which were a higher level of education.

This Heki person lived near the elementary school. Rakushun said it was impolite to make a sudden house call, so they sent a letter beforehand and went through the formal procedure to set up a meeting. The morning after that, a messenger bearing Rakujin’s reply came to their inn and took them to the school.

Nestled within the city walls, Houryou’s school was a classic Chinese-style building. Instead of having a wide-open courtyard, it looked like an affluent person’s house. The messenger led them to a small structure resembling a traditional Japanese pavilion, where they waited until Rakujin appeared.

“I apologize for keeping you waiting. My name is Heki.”

It was hard to tell his age. He could have been anywhere between thirty and fifty. There was a youthful look about him, yet he also had an air of seniority. He sported a small smile on his wrinkle-free face. Youko thought he could not have been more different from the old man known as Seizou Matsuyama.

“Which of you sent the letter?” Rakujin asked.

It was Rakushun who replied. “Yeah, that’d be me… I mean, yes, it was I,” he said, reeling in his rustic accent. “Thank you very much for lending us your time.”

Rakujin smiled genially. “By all means, you are welcome at these doors.”

“Okay, so…” Rakushun scratched lightly below his ear and cocked his head back over his shoulder at Youko. “This fellow is a Kaikyaku.”

The man did not bat an eyelid. He peered at Youko. “Oh, is that so? Although I must say, your friend does not look like a Kaikyaku.”

“Is that what you think?” Youko asked cautiously.

He smiled. “At least, I never saw that hair color in Japan.”

“Oh, right…”

Seeing the man’s inquisitive eyes, Youko explained her circumstances: how the color had changed when she arrived, though she did not know why. How it wasn’t just her hair color but even her face, physique, and voice.

Rakujin listened to the whole story and then nodded. “Then I suppose you must be a Taika.”

“Me? A Taika?” Youko’s eyes widened.

“Whenever there is a Shoku, the two sides become blurred. People come and Ranka go.”

“I don’t really understand, sorry.”

“People come to this side because they get caught up in a Shoku. Conversely, a Ranka can wash up on the other side. A Ranka is like a fetus. They can drift into a mother’s womb on the other side. A person who is born from this process is called a Taika.”

“I’m…that?”

Rakujin nodded. “A Taika is a living creature on the other side that originated from this side. Your current appearance is the one that was originally bestowed upon you by the Lord Above.”

“But when I was on the other side…”

“It would have caused a great shock if you were born in Wa with those features. I suppose you must have resembled your parents.”

“Yes. They said I looked like my grandmother on my father’s side.”

“That was a shell, so to speak. Something that covered you in the womb so that your birth would cause no uproar. I have heard tales of Taika whose appearances changed in much the same fashion.”

It was difficult for Youko to accept those words immediately. It would mean that she had always been an outsider in her former land. How could anyone nod at that as soon as they heard it?

At the same time, there was a definite part of her that thought, I knew it. She had never belonged to that side. That was the reason why she never fit in. The thought gave her an unbelievable sense of relief…but also, at the same time, it brought a sort of sadness.

FOR A WHILE, YOUKO SWAM IN HAZY THOUGHTS about herself and the world, then her eyes flitted to Rakujin.

“Are you a Taika too, sir?” she asked.

He shook his head with a smile. “I’m just an ordinary Kaikyaku. My hometown was in Shizuoka, and I attended Tokyo University. I was twenty-two years old when I came to this side. I was just trying to leave the Yasuda Auditorium by going under a desk when I ended up here.”

“Yasuda…?”

“Oh, you’re not aware of it. I suppose it wasn’t memorable enough to leave a mark on history.”

“I’m ignorant about a lot of things…”

“As am I. It happened on January 17th, Showa 44. Night had just fallen. I don’t know about anything after that.”

“That was before I was born,” Youko said.

Rakujin grimaced. “It’s already been that long, hm? I’ve been on this side for quite a while.”

“Have you been here this whole time?”

“That’s right. I arrived in the Kingdom of Kei and moved to En. I ended up in this position six years ago. Here, I teach life skills…things you need to get by.” He laughed, then shook his head. “But enough about me. What did you come here to ask me about?”

Youko had one question—she did not beat around the bush. “Is there a way to return to the other side?”

Rakujin paused for a short while and then lowered his voice. “People cannot cross the Kyokai. It is only possible to make a one-way trip between the two sides. You can come, but you cannot go.”

Youko exhaled. “Is that so?”

It wasn’t much of a shock.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t be of help to you,” Rakujin said.

“Oh, no… There’s just one thing that’s puzzling me. Can I ask you another question?”

“By all means.”

“How can I understand the language here?”

Rakujin tilted his head in confusion.

“I never even realized that the language here was different,” Youko went on. “I assumed people were speaking Japanese. The only things I don’t understand are the specialized words. It was only when I met an old Kaikyaku in the Kingdom of Kou that I learned that people don’t speak Japanese here… What do you make of this?”

Rakujin gave the question a bit of thought. An uneasy smile came over his face, and he cast his gaze on Youko.

“It would seem that you are not human,” he said finally.

I knew it, Youko thought.

“I had a hard time when I first came here because I did not know the language. I thought it was a Chinese dialect, but none of the basic Chinese words I knew worked. I had to communicate through writing for many years, since at least kanji is understood. However, since even our writing has many differences, the first year was very difficult indeed. Everyone who comes here has the same experience. Taika are no exception. In all my years of researching Kaikyaku, I have never encountered one who did not struggle with the language barrier. I believe that you are no ordinary Kaikyaku.”

Youko gripped her arms lightly as Rakujin went on.

“I have heard that only ayakashi and sages are unbounded by language,” he said. “If you never once encountered a language barrier, then you cannot be human. You must be one of them.”

“Can nonhumans…be Taika as well?”

Rakujin nodded. His smile did not go away. “I have never heard of any cases, but it should theoretically be possible. That would give you some options. You might even be able to return home.”

Youko lifted her head. “Really?”

“Yes. Ayakashi and sages can cross the Kyokai. I cannot. There is no way for me to return, but you are different. You ought to request an audience with the king of En.”

“Do you think he would be able to help me?”

“I would think so. It might not be easy, but at the very least, it is worth a try.”

Youko thought about that and nodded. “You’re right.” Then her gaze dropped to the floor. “I see… So I wasn’t human after all.”

A slight smile came over her face, to which Rakushun responded in a reproachful tone. “Youko…”

Youko pulled up her sleeve and pointed at her right hand. “I always thought it was strange. There should be a scar on my palm from when I got attacked by a youma. Even though it got stabbed clean through, you can’t see a trace of it anymore.”

Rakushun peered at Youko’s slightly outstretched hand, his whiskers twitching. Rakushun had treated that wound himself. He could testify to how serious it was.

“There should be plenty of other scars too, but I can’t even tell where they were anymore. Even the injuries I get from the youma are too mild. For instance, I only get bite marks when a youma gets its jaws around me. My body’s become incredibly durable against injuries, for some reason.” Strangely, the knowledge that she wasn’t human brought a smile to Youko’s face. “I suppose it’s because I’m an ayakashi, right? I wonder if that has something to do with why the youma target me.”

“The youma have been targeting you?” Rakujin asked, frowning.

Rakushun was the one who responded. “Seems that way.”

“That’s ludicrous,” Rakujin replied.

“I thought so too, but when I asked around, I found out there’s always youma wherever Youko goes,” Rakushun explained. “I was even there when a bunch of Kochou attacked.”

Rakujin pressed a hand lightly against his forehead. “I’d heard rumors that youma were appearing in droves in Kou these days… You’re saying this is because of her?”

Rakushun gave Youko a hesitant look. She nodded at him and picked up the story. “I think so. I first came to this side because I was escaping from a Kochou.”

“A Kochou attacked you? Over there? And then you escaped to this side?”

“Yes. This person… Well, I’m pretty sure he’s a youma… Anyway, his name is Keiki. He told me that for my own protection, I had to come here, so he brought me to this side.”

For a moment, Rakujin did not reply. “Where is he now?” he asked, frowning.

“I don’t know. There were youma lying in wait for me as soon as I arrived, and we got separated. I haven’t seen him since. I’ve been wondering if he’s even still alive,” Youko said.

For a long while, Rakujin held a hand against his forehead, deep in thought. “That can’t be possible,” he said finally. “I would never have imagined it in my wildest dreams.”

“Rakushun said the same thing.”

“Youma are the same as wild beasts. Even when they attack people in groups, they never target a specific individual, much less cross the Kyokai just to come after someone. They simply wouldn’t do that, much the same way a tiger wouldn’t.”

“I was wondering if perhaps someone had tamed the tiger, so to speak,” Youko said.

“That shouldn’t be possible. This sounds like a grave matter indeed, Youko-san.”

Youko hesitated. “Really?”

“Something might have changed within the youma to enable this—or perhaps someone found a way to control them. Either way, if left unchecked, it could lead to the destruction of an entire kingdom,” said Rakujin as he peered at Youko. “Say you were an ayakashi—that would simplify matters somewhat. Although I have never heard of infighting between the ayakashi, they do resort to eating their own kind when they are starving. However…”

“Youko doesn’t look one bit like a youma,” Rakushun remarked.

Rakujin nodded in agreement. “Although there are some youma that can take human shape, none would look so convincing. Not to mention that she does not see herself as a youma.”

Youko smiled sheepishly. “It’s not impossible.”

Rakujin shook his head. “It is impossible. You are not a youma. You cannot possibly be.” He stood up. “Go see the king. I could speak to an official, but it would be faster for you to go to Kankyuu directly. You are the key to this puzzle. I am sure that the king will grant you an audience.”

Youko stood up as well. She bowed her head deeply. “Thank you very much.”

“You should be able to reach the next town by evening if you depart now. Is your luggage at the inn?”

“No, I have it with me.”

“Then allow me to escort you to the gates.” Rakujin walked down the path with them. “I may not be of much help, but I will write a letter to appeal for you. You may not be able to move freely until your situation is resolved, but I am sure that the king will return you home afterward.”

Youko looked at Rakujin. “What about you?”

“Hm?”

“Don’t you want to go home too? You could be asking the king as well.”

Rakujin smiled at Youko’s question. “My standing is too humble to have an audience with the king. It is not so simple for a perfectly average Kaikyaku to meet with a person like him.”

“But—”

“Well, perhaps he would meet me if I were to appeal to him earnestly, but my interest in returning does not extend that far.”

“Really?”

“I was weary of Showa Japan, so I was glad to come to a new land. I do not possess such an ardent desire to return to my former country. Even if a meeting with the king could return me home, I’ve long grown accustomed to this land.”

“I…want to go back,” Youko murmured. The moment those words left her mouth, a terrible sadness washed over her.

Rakujin did not reply for a moment, but he eventually said, “I pray that you are able to meet the king.”

“Can we at least talk about Japan until we reach the gate?” Youko asked.

“I don’t see the need for that,” Rakujin said, smiling. “I left that country behind when the revolution failed.”

Chapter Seven

THEY WALKED—PRACTICALLY RAN—ALONG THE highway, arriving at the next town minutes before the gates closed.

The next day, they left just as the gates opened.

Although Youko did not grasp the gravity of what she had recently learned, she could tell from the change in Rakujin and Rakushun’s expressions that it was something to take seriously.

“I wonder if the king of En will meet me?” she asked Rakushun as they walked.

Rakushun’s whiskers twitched. “Don’t ask me. I’ve never asked for an audience with a king. I doubt he’d meet with anyone calling on him outta nowhere.”

“Then what do we do?”

“If we go to Kankyuu, there’s gotta be a county or prefectural office. I guess first we gotta ask to see Taiho.”

“Taiho?”

Rakushun nodded and drew the characters in the air: “pedestal” and “help.”

“Taiho. That’s what they call the Saiho. Umm, I guess it’s a respectful way to address ’em? Kankyuu is in the Sei Province, and the Saiho of the Sei Province is called Taiho.”

Youko stared hard at where Rakushun wrote the characters. “I’ve heard of it before.” The word “Taiho” was familiar to her from somewhere.

“Well, they’re around,” Rakushun said.

“No, I mean, I think I heard it on the other side,” Youko clarified, searching her memories. It was quite a while ago. “Oh, right. That’s what Keiki was called.”

Rakushun’s inky eyes boggled. “Taiho? Keiki?”

“Yeah. The person who brought me here. He gave me this sword…” Youko smiled a little. “He acted like my servant, calling me his master. He acted pretty haughty for a servant, though.”

“Wait a sec here.” Flustered, Rakushun held up his hand. Even his tail seemed to be trying to hold Youko back. “Keiki, you said? He’s called Taiho?”

“Apparently. Do you know him?” Youko asked.

Rakushun shook his head vigorously. His whiskers bobbed up and down in evident vexation. “And you’re his master…”

It really has been a while since that whole thing happened, Youko thought. She was silent for a while as her mind flipped through the events like a photo album. With a sudden exhale, she snapped back to reality, where she found Rakushun staring up at her. He had backed away two or three paces, an expression of complete noncomprehension written across his face.

Youko cocked her head. “What’s the matter?”

“No way,” Rakushun muttered, still gazing up at her. “If someone addressed Keiki as Taiho, then he’s gotta be a Kei-Taiho…”

“Which means?” Youko was puzzled at Rakushun’s vacant demeanor. “Is there something wrong if Keiki is a Kei-Taiho?”

Rakushun sat down on the side of the road and beckoned to Youko. When she sat down next to him, he stared up at her for a long, hard moment.

“What is Keiki? What did he do?” she asked.

Rakushun finally spoke. “This is bad news, Youko.”

“I don’t get it.”

“I’ll explain. Listen calmly, all right?”

An uneasy feeling slowly crawled down her spine. She nodded silently, meeting Rakushun’s gaze.

“If you’d mentioned the Taiho thing sooner, we would have figured out your situation way easier. You wouldn’t have had to suffer so much, Youko. Your case is surprisingly simple.”

“Rakushun, you said you’d explain.”

“The only person you’d ever address as Taiho is a Saiho. That, and the fact that his name is Keiki means that he’s got to be a Kei-Taiho. That’s the only possible explanation.”

“Uh-huh. And?”

Rakushun’s whiskers twitched. He reached out his tiny arms to touch Youko’s hand but then seemed to think better of it.

“That means he’s not human. He’s not a youma or anything like that either… He’s a Kirin.”

“A Kirin?”

“Kirin.” Rakushun wrote it identically to a word which existed in the Japanese language—it referred to the mythical horselike creature of Chinese legend. “They’re the highest-order divine beast. Normally, they take on human form. No one called Taiho is human. They’re always a Kirin. I bet the ‘ki’ in Keiki is written with the same ‘ki’ in Kirin. It’s not a name, it’s a signifier. It means he’s the Kirin of the Kingdom of Kei.”

“Uh-huh…”

“Kei is on the east side of the Blue Sea—it’s right between En and Kou. It’s a nice land with a moderate climate.”

“But right now it’s in disarray?”

Rakushun nodded. “The queen passed away last year, and there isn’t a new one yet. The ruler’s meant to protect the country from natural disasters and keep the youma and supernatural threats at bay. That’s why a country falls into disarray when there’s no ruler around.”

“Uh-huh,” Youko said again, not sure where this was going.

“If Keiki called you his master, it means you’re the queen of Kei.”

“What?”

“You’re the country’s next ruler.”

For a moment, Youko’s head went blank. The words sounded like something from a different planet—she struggled to even react.

“You’re…the new queen,” Rakushun reiterated.

“Wait. I’m…just an ordinary high school girl, you know? I might be a Taika, but I’m not anyone important.”

“The king or queen is an ordinary person until they take the throne. They’re not determined by bloodlines. Frankly, it’s got nothing to do with personality or appearance. The Kirin picks ’em—it’s the only thing that matters.”

“But—!”

Rakushun shook his head.

“The Kirin choose the rulers. If Keiki chose you, it means you’re the queen of Kei. The Kirin don’t take orders from anyone. The only person they’d call a master is their liege.”

“No way…”

“The heavens bequeathed the kings with tree branches. The three fruit represent the land, the country, and the throne. The land means the geography and population. The country means the laws and rules. And the throne is the king’s guiding benevolence—in other words, the Kirin.” Rakushun’s bewilderment deepened as he spoke. “You’re not a human or even an ordinary Taika, Youko… I’m guessing you must have entered a pact with Keiki.”

“What?”

“I don’t know if it’s called a pact or something else. But I do know that the kings are gods, not humans. The moment a king enters a pact with a Kirin, they stop being human.”

Youko scoured her memories. It took a bit of digging before she recalled a certain phrase she had uttered.

“Keiki said something,” she said slowly, “and then I said, ‘I allow it.’ Right, I remember now. Keiki did something weird, and I got this strange feeling…”

Back then, it was as if something had coursed through her. The next moment, the glass in the staff room windows shattered, injuring most of the teachers while leaving Youko unscathed.

“Something weird, you say?” said Rakushun.

“He knelt in front of me and bowed his head… Well, more like he pressed his forehead against my foot…”

“That’s it, then,” Rakushun declared. “Kirin are aloof and solitary creatures. They don’t follow anyone ’cept for their king. They definitely wouldn’t kneel to some random person.”

“But—”

“Don’t ask me for the details. I dunno diddly squat past what I just told you. You gotta ask the king of En. I’m just a hanjyuu—I don’t know nuthin’ about the gods,” Rakushun said stiffly as he continued to look up at Youko. His whiskers twitched as he stared. “Who knew your world was so different from mine…?”

He wasn’t talking about the other side.

“I—” Youko began.

“I shouldn’t even be allowed to speak to ya. I can’t just call you Youko anymore without a fancy title,” Rakushun said, standing up. “So yeah, we gotta see that king of En real quick. It’ll be faster to notify the nearest governor’s office instead of going to Kankyuu. This is a national-level problem we’re talking about.”

Rakushun had his back turned to Youko as he spoke, but when he was done, he looked up at her once more and continued. “I understand that you are weary from your travels. From here, it will be swifter to seek out an official’s protection instead of journeying directly to Kankyuu. Please forgive me, but I must ask that you stay at the inn until we receive His Majesty’s approval.”

There was something sad about the sight of Rakushun bowing his head deeply.

“I’m…still me,” Youko said.

“I couldn’t possibly…”

“I…” Youko’s voice trembled violently. “The only person I can be is me. I’ve never once stopped being myself. It doesn’t matter whether I’m a queen or a Kaikyaku or whatever. I came all this way by walking with you, Rakushun.”

Rakushun simply looked at his feet. His hunched back looked ever so lonely.

“What’s different now? What’s changed? I thought you were my friend, Rakushun. If a throne makes a friend change completely, I don’t need it.”

Her tiny friend gave no response.

“That’s prejudice, I’ll have you know. You didn’t discriminate against me because I’m a Kaikyaku. So why would you discriminate against a queen?”

“Youko…”

“I didn’t go off into a different world. You’re the one distancing yourself from me. You and I are only two steps away from each other, Rakushun.” Youko pointed at the meager distance between their respective feet.

Rakushun looked up at Youko. His forearms hovered restlessly around his chest, and his silken whiskers twitched.

“Am I wrong, Rakushun?” Youko asked.

Rakushun said finally, “It’s three steps for me, y’know.”

Youko smiled.

“’Scuse me.” Rakushun’s hand reached out and patted Youko’s hand lightly. “Sorry for kickin’ up a fuss.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m the one who should be sorry. I got you caught up in all this weirdness.”

Youko was being pursued. Rakushun might possibly be right in saying she was a monarch—it would explain why she had enemies on her tail.

Rakushun’s ink-black eyes creased into a smile. “I came to En for my own reasons. You don’t hafta worry about me, Youko.”

“I’ve given you a lot of trouble, Rakushun.”

“Nah. If I thought you were trouble, I’d never have gone with you in the first place. I would’ve marched back home as soon as I didn’t like what was up.”

“But I got you injured…”

“I went in knowing there’d be danger and fishy business. But I still thought it was worth it, and that’s why I came with ya.”

“You’re too nice for your own good, Rakushun,” Youko said.

“Maybe. But I figured there was more worth in sticking with you in a dangerous place than leaving you for someplace else.”

“No way. You couldn’t have thought it would be this dangerous.”

“Just means my estimations were wrong. That’s my fault, not yours.”

Unable to find any words, Youko simply nodded.

As she gripped Rakushun’s tiny hand, a deep sense of shame came over her. She wondered if he would be considered a criminal for harboring a Kaikyaku. What if the youma attacked Rakushun’s house after Youko left? When he left his home, Rakushun had told his mother, “I’m sure you’ll be fine by yourself since you’re so sensible and all.” Perhaps he had been hinting to her that Youko’s pursuers would apprehend her or some other kind of hardship would befall her.

Youko reached her arms out and hugged Rakushun’s soft body. “Wah!” he spluttered, but she ignored him and buried her face in his brown-gray fur. He felt just as cuddly as she had imagined.

“I’m so sorry for dragging you into my problems. I really am. Sorry…and thank you.”

“Youkooo!” Rakushun exclaimed.

Youko let go of the bewildered Rakushun. “Sorry, I was just…getting emotional.”

“It’s okay.” Rakushun patted himself down with both hands, looking terribly embarrassed. “You oughta have a bit more discretion, y’know.”

“What?”

Rakushun’s whiskers drooped. “Or at least you need to study up on this side. You hear?” he said, still sounding flustered.

Youko didn’t quite see what he was getting at, but she nodded anyway. “Okay.”

Rakushun booked a room as soon as they entered the next town. He wrote a letter at the inn, then quite literally ran for the governor’s office.

If the letter was accepted, then there would be some kind of commotion at the inn, Rakushun said. Youko was still not convinced of the importance of her circumstances, much less the idea that she was a monarch. However much she tried to wrap her head around it, it just didn’t seem real. So when Rakushun got to business, she did not even try to stop him—she stayed put like he told her to.

“How long will this take?” she asked.

“Beats me. I wrote down your story and asked for an audience with the Saiho, but I dunno how long it’ll take for the letter to get there. I’m just winging it here.”

“You can’t grab an official and ask them to pass it along?”

Rakushun chuckled at Youko’s question. “Now that would get us kicked out for sure.”

“What if they ignore your letter?”

“I’ll be a good sport and keep writin’ ’til they call us.”

“Are you really willing to go through so much hassle?”

“There’s no other way.”

“It sounds pretty frustrating.”

“The Saiho’s a busy fellow. Just gotta grin and bear it, I s’pose.”

“Hmm.”

The whole situation felt surreal.

When they left the governor’s office (this one was on the township level), Rakushun pointed her toward the plaza instead of the inn.

“What is it?” she asked.

“Lemme show you somethin’ neat. You’ll find it fascinating, I reckon.”

The governor’s office stood next to a plaza at the far end of town. Puzzled, Youko followed Rakushun through the plaza; he was headed for a white building directly in front of them. There was a bright gold relief on the white stone walls, and the blue bricks on the roof shone with a beautiful ceramic glaze.

The town’s name was Youshou, and there was a sign on the gate reading “Youshou Shrine.” It was a type of building that Youko had seen in the middle of every other town she had passed through thus far.

“Is this the place?” Youko asked.

“Yup.”

“If it says it’s a shrine, then I suppose they must worship a god here. The Lord Above?”

“You’ll see.”

Rakushun grinned and walked through the gate. There was a guard around who asked what they were here for, to which Rakushun showed their IDs and responded that they were here to observe.

They went through the gate and into a small garden, which had a large building at the very back. Passing through the ornate doors, they found themselves in an area that looked like a reception hall.

A tranquil atmosphere filled the vast room. The wall directly in front of them had a large square hole which served as a window. Youko could see a courtyard on the other side. The window was surrounded on all sides by something that looked like an altar; it was adorned with an abundance of flowers, lights, and offerings. A handful of men and women fervently prayed toward the window.

Youko figured that the object of their prayers had to be displayed at the altar, and yet the only thing she could see was the window. Perhaps they were worshipping something outside. Peering into the garden, Youko saw a single tree.

“That’s…”

Rakushun faced the altar and brought his hands together lightly before immediately tugging Youko’s hand to the right. On both sides of the altar were wide hallways leading into the courtyard, paved with white pebbles. When Youko walked through and saw what was there, she was momentarily stunned.

It was a white tree. When she wandered the mountains, she had often used these mysterious trees for respite. This one was bigger in width than the ones she saw in the mountains, though its height was still the same. The branches spanned about twenty meters sideways, though the tallest branch only hung two meters off the ground. No leaves or flowers grew from the white branches; however, some had thin, ribbonlike sashes around them where a few pieces of yellow fruit grew. The fruit she saw in the mountains were small, but these were big enough to require both arms to carry.

“Rakushun, this is—”

“A Riboku,” Rakushun said.

“A Riboku? These things grow the Ranka?”

“Yep. Those yellow fruits have children inside ’em.”

“Whoa…”

Youko watched the tree in silent awe. She would never have seen something like this in her former country—it flew in the face of conventional logic.

“That’s how you were born, Youko. Then a Shoku came, and you washed up in Wa.”

“That sounds like a made-up story…”

The branches and fruit glimmered with a metallic sheen.

“Couples who want kids come to the shrine. They give offerings and tie sashes on the branches so that they can be blessed with a child. The Lord Above answers their prayers by growing fruit on the branch they tied. The fruit takes nine months to grow. When the parents go to pick it, it falls to the ground. It takes a night after picking the Ranka for it to split open and the child to be born,” Rakushun explained.

“Oh, so the fruit doesn’t just grow on its own. It only starts when the parents pray for it.”

“Yup. Some parents never get one no matter how much they pray, while others get one right away. Everyone gets evaluated by the heavens.”

“Was it the same with me?” Youko asked. “I must have had parents who tied a sash on my branch.”

“Yep. They must’ve been sad when they lost their Ranka.”

“Is there any way to find them?”

“I dunno. You might figure it out with a calendar. If you work backward from the time you landed in Wa and look up the area where the Shoku happened, how many Ranka went missing, stuff like that… Well, I reckon that would be hard.”

“Yeah.”

A part of her wanted to meet her parents on this side if it were possible. What kind of people were they? The idea that there were people here who had prayed for her birth was what made it finally sink in that she originated from this side. This was where she was meant to be born—somewhere in this world, enclosed by the endless Kyokai.

“I wonder if children resemble their parents,” Youko said.

“Huh? Why would they?” Rakushun sounded genuinely baffled.

Youko smiled wryly. Apparently, there was no genetic relationship between parents and their children here, hence why a human woman could have a child that looked like a rat.

“Parents and children look like each other on the other side.”

“Really? That’s weird. Isn’t that, I dunno, creepy?”

“Creepy? I’ve never thought of it that way.”

“If someone in my house looked like me, I reckon I’d be creeped out.”

“When you put it that way, I guess so, yeah.”

Youko watched as a young couple went into the courtyard. They whispered into each other’s ears, appearing to discuss something. After some deliberation, they tied a beautiful thin sash on the branch of their choosing.

“See that sash? The couple always makes the pattern on it. They choose something auspicious for the kid and embroider it themselves.”

“I see.” It sounded like a very heartwarming custom. “I saw these trees in the mountains…”

Rakushun whipped his head up at Youko. “Yaboku?”

“Yaboku, is that what they’re called? They had fruit too.”

“There are two types of Yaboku: one that grows trees or plants and one that grows animals.”

Youko’s eyes widened. She whipped her head back at Rakushun. “Plants, trees, and animals come from trees too?”

Rakushun nodded. “’Course they do. Without trees, how would anything be born?”

“Huh…”

If children came from trees, then perhaps it stood to reason that animals and plants came from them as well.

“Farm animals come from Riboku. The owners come here to pray for ’em,” Rakushun said. “It’s just that for livestock, you gotta abide by certain rules and pray on a particular day. Plants, trees, and wild animals grow by themselves. Anything from plant and tree seeds to bird chicks and baby animals can come outta the fruit.”

“Seeds are one thing, but isn’t it risky for chicks and babies to grow by themselves? Wouldn’t a baby bird get eaten by another animal right away?” Youko asked.

“Some animals have parents that come pick them up. The others live under the tree ’til they can fend for themselves. That’s why other animals never go near the trees. No prey species is born at the same time as its predator, and even the most ferocious animals don’t fight while they’re under the tree. It’s always safe under a Yaboku, hence why folks who can’t get into a town in the evenings look for a Yaboku in the mountains.”

“I see…”

“On the flipside, you can’t ever hunt or kill an animal near a tree, no matter how dangerous they are. That’s the absolute rule.”

“That explains things… So chicks don’t hatch from eggs, huh?”

Rakushun looked horrified. “You can’t eat something with kids in it!”

Youko smiled thinly. “Yeah. You might have a point.”

“Jeez, from the way you talk about it, Youko, the other side sounds like a nightmare.”

“Maybe so.” Another thought occurred to Youko. “What about youma? Do youma grow from trees as well?”

“’Course they do. Then again, nobody’s ever seen a youma come from a tree. I heard there’s a youma nest somewhere—I bet that’s where they come from.”

“Huh…”

Youko nodded. Another question occurred to her, but it seemed in poor taste, so she decided against asking. Given that this side had red light districts, she could more or less connect the dots.

“What’s up?”

“Oh, nothing. Thanks for bringing me here. It made me kind of…happy, I guess.”

Youko smiled, and Rakushun beamed back at her. “Glad to hear it.”

The young couple in the courtyard still had their hands clasped together as they faced the tree branch.

ALTHOUGH RAKUSHUN INSISTED ON STAYING AT A proper inn, Youko countered that they didn’t need to waste so much money.

“You might not be the queen yet, but still—a cheapo place just ain’t right,” Rakushun insisted.

“You’re the only one saying I’m the queen of Kei. I believe you because you’re my friend, but it doesn’t necessarily mean the rest of the world will believe you.”

“It’s not about belief, it’s about the facts.”

“That’s not what this is about.”

Rakushun sighed. “Listen, Youko—”

“I only have enough travel funds for this quality of inn. Besides, we don’t know how long it’ll take for us to get a call from the governor’s office. There’s only so many days we can spend in a more expensive place before we run out of money.”

“You’re the queen of Kei—of course you can pay. And hey, what kind of innkeeper would collect fees from a queen?”

“That’s all the more reason to stay within our means. It’s unfair for us to stay somewhere without paying, especially since they’re counting on us as customers.”

Youko’s logic won the day, and they ended up choosing an inn that was above average in the cheaper tier. Their room was small, about four tatami mats wide, and there were two beds. The window faced the courtyard, and there was a small table right beneath it. Since she had paid for it with her own money, nothing seemed more luxurious to Youko.

It was evening by the time they got back from the shrine. There was not much to do besides use the hot water in the room to bathe, change her clothes, and wash what she had been wearing. She had access to hot water and a change of clothes—she really couldn’t have asked for anything more.

She went downstairs to the dining hall and found Rakushun waiting for her. The fact that it was a sit-down restaurant rather than standing stalls meant that it was quite fancy in Youko’s opinion. She sipped her tea leisurely and was just considering going back to her room, when…

She heard a scream from outside the inn.

Youko instinctively gripped her sword at the unnatural sound. Keeping the sword with her at all times was the one habit she could not shake. Clenching the hilt, she leaped out the door, where she saw a commotion on the other end of the street. People were frantically running around at the distant corner.

“Youko,” Rakushun said. She could hear the gravity in his voice.

“Who would have thought they’d come all the way here?”

Somehow, she had just assumed that the youma would not pursue her to En. In retrospect, the idea wasn’t totally unfounded, for there weren’t many youma in En. Although it was only natural that they would not encounter youma when she traveled only during the daytime, the enemies that pursued Youko had not restricted their attacks to night. Perhaps the reason why her journey had been so uneventful thus far had been simple luck.

“Rakushun, stay in the inn.”

“But, Youko—”

Youko was familiar with the tenor of these screams—people crying out in terror as they fled, fearing for their very lives. Mixed within the screams, she heard the sound of a baby crying. Youko learned long ago that this was the surefire sign of a youma.

She unsheathed the sword and passed the scabbard to Rakushun.

“Stay back, Rakushun. Please.”

He gave no verbal response; she simply felt his presence retreat.

Pushing her way past the stream of people, Youko craned her head and saw what looked like a towering black tiger. “Bafuku!” she heard someone yell.

Youko lowered the tip of her sword and eased into a fighting stance. The blade sparkled from the shop lights to her left and right. The scampering crowd split off to either side of Youko as if flowing down the fork of a river.

The enormous tiger dashed toward her, mowing people down as it went. Behind it, Youko saw a creature that resembled a large bull.

“Two of them…”

Youko’s body tensed slightly. It had been quite some time since she last felt this sensation—instead of fear, it brought her a strange sense of elation.

The panicking people ran off into the shops, trying to put as much distance as they could between themselves and the monsters. Youko broke out into a light sprint, her sword at the ready.

The tiger came first. It leaped at her as if it were prancing. She dodged its enormous body in the nick of time and stabbed the back of its large neck. Then she pulled out the sword and, in the same motion, readjusted her grip and slashed the blue bull that came charging toward her.

The sheer size of their bodies meant that it took some time to finish them off, but since there were only two of them, it was a straightforward affair. She handled the pair of youma with ease when all of a sudden, she heard Rakushun’s voice.

“Youko, there are Kingen!”

She whipped her head up just as a flock of giant birds came flying toward her. She could not tell how many of them there were; it could have been anywhere between ten and twenty.

“Don’t let them stab you! They’re venomous!”

Youko clicked her tongue at Rakushun’s warning. The newcomers were small, fast, and numerous. This was turning into trouble.

The birds had tails shaped like small, sharp swords. Youko cut down two of the birds and finished off the tiger. With her back to the inn, she ran past the tiger’s dead body and looked for some solid ground so she wouldn’t lose her footing. The bull, having taken two blows from the sword, went berserk. The stone paving around Youko’s feet was slick and slippery from the youmas’ blood.

The alleyway was small and dimly lit; to make matters worse, there was still the flock of birds to contend with. Youko could only rely on the torches from the shops to her left and right to see. The dingy illumination made the darkness seem even more ominous.

Before she knew it, the birds were right above her. It felt as if they were spilling from the darkness itself.

Dodging the charging bull, Youko cut down another bird. Just then, strange cries like the creaking of rusted metal burst near her ears.

“There’s still more of them…”

Sweat ran down her back.

As the birds distracted Youko, the blue bull that she had not managed to immediately finish off was turning out to be a troublesome foe. Meanwhile, she saw a pack of monkeys flood the entrance of the alleyway.

The sight seized her attention for a fleeting moment. Then she blinked and a bird’s tail appeared right in front of her eyes. All she could do was twist her body to get out of the way, breaking her stance. Then the next bird came, its tail pointed straight for Youko’s eye.

She knew she wouldn’t be able to get out of the way.

Venom. How bad is it?

No, wait, what about my eyes?

If I can’t see, I can’t fight.

I don’t even have time to block it with my arm.

Thoughts raced through her head, too fleeting to be contained within a single moment. There was no time to even blink.

Oh no, it’s gonna stab me!

Just as she started to close her eyes, the bird suddenly disappeared.

Someone had struck it down from the side. She didn’t even have a chance to see who it was before another bird came flying at her, which she cut down. Then, she ducked out of the way of the charging blue bull. When she successfully evaded it, someone else pierced through the back of its head with a perfectly skilled hand. As Youko stood bewildered by the newcomer’s dexterity, they smoothly pulled out their sword and mowed down another bird swooping down on her.

It was a man a full head taller than Youko.

“Don’t get distracted,” he said as he languidly slashed the final bird.

Youko nodded and turned to the monkeys, swiftly throwing herself into the fray. Her sword lashed out at the first one in line, then ran through the one that came jumping up from behind it.

The man’s skill was several notches above Youko’s, and his raw strength was on a different level altogether. Although the youma came at them in a horde, it took almost no time at all before their bodies littered the alleyway and a quiet stillness came over the scene.

“YOU’VE GOT SKILLS,” SAID THE MAN AS HE WIPED the blood splatter off his sword and sheathed it.

He did not seem even slightly out of breath. Though he had a large physique, he did not give off the impression of being a giant. He was the very image of a majestic hero. As her shoulders heaved from panting, Youko wordlessly gazed up at the man.

For his part, he simply smiled. “This might be rude of me to ask, but…are you all right?”

She nodded silently, prompting one of his brows to lift slightly.

“Ran out of energy to talk?”

Youko finally spoke. “Thank you…very…much.”

“Nothing to thank me for.”

“You did save me.”

“Can’t have those pesky youma wandering about. I didn’t dive in just to save you.”

While Youko was stumped on how to reply, she felt someone clutch her jacket behind her.

“Youko, are you okay?”

It was Rakushun. He gazed uneasily at the carcasses by her feet as he handed the scabbard back to her. She wiped off the sword and sheathed it.

“I’m fine. Are you hurt, Rakushun?”

“Nah, I’m all right. Who’s this fella?”

Youko shrugged. The man just smiled and turned his gaze to the building behind Youko.

“Is that the inn you’re staying at?”

Youko hesitated for a moment, then said, “Yes.”

“I see,” the man muttered to himself as his eyes scanned the surroundings. Then he spoke to Youko. “People are coming. You good with alcohol?”

“No, I’m not old enough…”

“What about you?” the man asked Rakushun. Rakushun’s whiskers twitched in consternation, but he nodded. “Okay, you come too. It’s a pain talking to the officials.”

With that, the man turned his back to them and strode off.

Youko and Rakushun exchanged glances. Their heads nodded at the same time, and they followed after him.

The man cut through the crowd, seeming to have no particular destination in mind. As he strode through the hustle and bustle, his eyes flitted this way and that until eventually they settled on a large, resplendent-looking inn. Without even sparing a glance at Youko and Rakushun behind him, the man walked inside.

When Youko saw this, she looked back at Rakushun. “What should we do?”

“I mean, we came this far.”

“That’s not what I mean. I want to talk to him. Rakushun, are you going back to the inn? Maybe it’s a good idea to take precautions.”

“I’ll be all right. Let’s go.”

Youko followed Rakushun as he went up the stone steps and through the door. Inside, the man was waiting with an employee at the bottom of a staircase. When he saw Youko and Rakushun, he smiled casually and went up the stairs.

The inn employee led the man to a spacious room on the third floor. It was connected to another room with a sliding door, and there was a balcony overlooking a courtyard. The interior decorations oozed with luxury, and even the furniture screamed wealth. Youko could not hide her slight nervousness—this place was magnitudes fancier than any inn she had ever stepped foot into.

The man ordered food and liquor from the inn worker before promptly plopping himself down on a sofa-like chair. He seemed accustomed to high-end establishments. With the room lit brightly by a bevy of candles, Youko could now see that his clothing looked quite expensive too.

“Excuse me, um…”

The man smiled at Youko as she stood awkwardly by the door. “Why don’t you have a seat?”

Youko exchanged another glance with Rakushun. “All right. Sorry for the intrusion.”

They both nodded and sat down. It felt impossible to relax. The man’s only reaction to their diffidence was a faint smile; he made no comment. As Youko looked around the room, trying to figure out how she was meant to react, the inn employee returned with the food and drinks.

“Do you have any other requests, sir?” asked the employee.

The man waved his hand in dismissal and ordered the employee to close the door behind her.

“Care for a drink?” the man asked.

Youko shook her head. So did Rakushun.

“Um…” Youko began, not sure what to talk about but figuring she might as well have a conversation anyway.

“That’s a fine sword you have,” the man interrupted her.

He pointed at where his gaze was trained—Youko’s right hand. Sensing that it would be difficult to refuse him, Youko handed him her sword. The man put his hand on the hilt and gave it a light pull. The sword slid out without resistance.

Ignoring Youko’s gasp of astonishment, the man inspected the sword and its scabbard.

“So the scabbard is dead, eh?” he said.

“Um, dead?”

“You see any strange visions?” he asked, prompting Youko to frown.

“What?”

The man laughed at the tension on Youko’s face and put the sword back into its scabbard. He then passed it back to Youko with evident care.

She gripped the hilt lightly. “What’s going on?”

“Wasn’t it clear from what I said? Guess you don’t know about that thing you’ve got.”

“What do you mean, the thing I’ve got?”

The man unhurriedly poured himself a cup out of a glass container that looked like a pitcher. There was no hint of wariness behind this action.

“That there is the Suiguutou—‘water,’ ‘monkey,’ ‘blade.’ Water gives the sword its form, and a monkey gives the scabbard its form, hence the name. It’s an incredible sword, but it’s got other powers too. They say the sword can glow and show visions as if you’re looking at a water’s reflection. Learn the right technique and you can see across a thousand ri, or even into the past or future. But if you let your mind slip, it’ll haunt you with visions relentlessly. That’s what the scabbard is for—to seal the visions away.”

He took a light sip of his cup and glanced at Youko.

“The scabbard can transform into the shape of a monkey. The monkey can read people’s minds, but once again, if you let yourself slip, it can use your thoughts to deceive you. Likewise, I hear you can use the sword to seal that part of the scabbard away. It’s a national treasure of the Kingdom of Kei.”

Youko instinctively jerked from her seat.

“But the scabbard is dead,” the man continued. “The seal is gone, so I bet the visions are out of control.”

At last, Youko found her voice. “You…”

“What are you giving me that look for? You sent a letter to the township. Well? Tell me your story.”

“Am I…speaking to En-Taiho, by any chance?”

The man gave her a roguish smile. “Taiho’s out of office. I’ll hear you out instead.”

Youko couldn’t contain her disappointment. So this wasn’t her man after all. “My story is in the letter.”

“Yeah, there was something in there about you being the queen of Kei or something.”

“I am a Kaikyaku. I don’t know much about this side. However…” She glanced at Rakushun. “Rakushun here says that I am the queen of Kei.”

“Sounds about right,” the man said with a nod. It was very anticlimactic.

“You believe me?”

“What’s there to believe or disbelieve? The Suiguutou is Kei’s treasure. It’s a powerful youma that was sealed away and transformed into a sword and scabbard. What’s more, only the rightful owner can wield it. It means you’re the queen of Kei—no doubt about it. That’s how it’s been for generations, ever since a former king of Kei sealed the youma away and put it under his control.”

“But—”

“They sealed each other away, which means that only the owner can draw the sword. I was only able to draw it just now because the scabbard is dead. If I were to actually hold the sword, it would be as useful to me as a stick of straw. And I definitely wouldn’t be able to draw out any visions.”

Youko peered straight at the man. “Who…are you?” He was no ordinary person—not if he knew this much about the Kingdom of Kei.

“Not going to introduce yourself first?” the man countered.

“Youko…Nakajima,” Youko said.

The man’s gaze swiveled to Rakushun. “I’m guessing you’re Chousei, the one who submitted the letter?”

Rakushun responded in the affirmative, hurriedly adjusting his sitting posture.

“What is your courtesy name?” the man asked.

“It is Rakushun.”

“So? Who are you?” Youko broke in. As much as she glared, however, the man was not the least bit intimidated.

“I’m Naotaka Komatsu,” he answered with supreme nonchalance.

Youko fixed him with a hard stare in return. “You’re a Kaikyaku?”

“A Taika. A lot of people call me Shouryuu. Well, I say ‘a lot,’ but only a handful of people know my name.”

“Okay, and?”

“And?”

“Who are you?” Youko asked. “Are you Taiho’s bodyguard or what?”

“Ah, right,” the man said, cracking a smile. “If you want to know my title, it’s His Majesty. As in, king of En.”

FOR A WHILE, YOUKO WAS FROZEN TO THE SPOT, unable to move. Rakushun sat stock-still, his whiskers and tail stiff as poles.

The subject of their stunned stares chuckled. He clearly got a kick out of this.

“The king of En?” Youko finally brought herself to say.

“Who else? I’m sorry that my Taiho couldn’t make it, but I figured I could help with your situation directly. Or does it have to be him?”

“No,” Youko said. She was otherwise completely at a loss for words.

The king gave her a faint smile and dipped his finger into his cup. “Let’s start with the basics. A year ago, the queen of Kei met her demise. She was known as the Prophet Queen. Did you know about that?”

“No,” said Youko.

The king nodded. “Her real name was Jyokaku. She is survived by a younger sister named Jyoei, who has brazenly decided to call herself the queen of Kei.”

“What’s so brazen about that?”

“Every monarch has a Kirin. The Kirin choose the monarchs. You’ve heard about that?”

“Yes.”

“The Prophet Queen had a Kirin, Keiki. You know Keiki?”

“I met him once. He brought me to this side,” Youko said.

The king nodded again. “Kei’s throne became barren when the Prophet Queen passed away. Keiki immediately strove to select a new monarch. Word came of the succession two months after the Prophet Queen’s death…but this queen has to be false. There’s nothing else it could be.”

“What do you mean, false?”

The king of En nodded and drew the characters “false” and “king” in the cup of alcohol with his finger.

“The kings are chosen by the Kirin. A king not chosen by the Kirin is called a false king. When a new monarch succeeds the throne, there are various auspicious happenings which cannot be caused by human hands. That didn’t happen with Jyoei—far from it. Now there’s youma skulking around and locust plagues. Jyoei is illegitimate, no two ways about it.”

“I don’t really…” Get it, Youko was about to say, when the king held up a hand to stop her.

“The signs of a false ruler were there. We investigated and found that the Prophet Queen’s sister Jyoei had assumed the throne. She might’ve been the queen’s sister, but she’s just an ordinary woman. She cannot even enter the palace and control the country. I assumed that her actions were not a big problem, but…”

Although she still didn’t quite understand, Youko listened attentively.

“She has gathered troops around a provincial lord’s palace and spread the news of her enthronement from there. The common people cannot determine whether she is real or a fake. They have no reason to suspect her, so they have been easily deceived. She claims that the lords conspired against her to seal the palace and prevent her, the rightful monarch, from entering. The people believe her and blame the lords. Jyoei has gone out of her way to denounce the old retainers, and she has received a flood of new officials and soldiers for her trouble.”

The king grimaced slightly before he continued. “The root of the problem goes far back. It took a long time for the Prophet Queen to take the throne, and her reign was short. The people bear a deep grudge against the lords for failing to restore peace to the country. Three of Kei’s nine provinces have already fallen to the false queen’s army.”

“Did nobody speak up against her?” Youko asked.

“Some did. When they pointed out that she had no Kirin, she claimed that the lords concealed Keiki. Then, after some time, she actually did present Keiki publicly and said that she rescued him from his captors. It is hard to disbelieve her word when she brought him out in his beast form. Of the six provinces that still opposed her, half of them decided to turn tail.”

“She presented Keiki? Then that means…”

“He was captured, it seems.”

This explained why he never came looking for Youko. It was not the worst-case scenario, but she could tell that it was very close to it.

“So it was this Jyoei lady who sent assassins after Youko?” said Rakushun.

“That’s easier said than done. Yes, it’s common for youma to attack humans, but they would never pursue a specific individual. Shirei are a different story.”

“Shirei?”

“The kings use the mystical force of their sacred treasures, and the Kirin use youma as their servants—Shirei. The only being that could make a youma attack a person is a Kirin.”

What Youko took from this was simply that the youma around Keiki were his Shirei. Rakushun, however, was visibly distressed.

“Impossible!” he exclaimed.

The king nodded heavily. “As implausible as it sounds, I can’t think of any other way. A Kirin’s Shirei attacked our queen here. The local youma were summoned by the Shirei.”

“Oh no… But then…”

“Think about it. Jyoei couldn’t have had the connections and money to maintain an army. It’s safe to assume that someone was funneling her war funds behind the scenes. And if Shirei are involved in the mix, then that someone is a king.”

Youko looked between the king and Rakushun. “What’s…going on?”

The king was the one who answered. “Do you know what kind of creature a Kirin is, exactly?”

“They’re divine beasts, and they choose kings…”

“Exactly. They are like youma, but also not. They are closer to gods. Although their true form is that of a beast, they usually take human shape. Their natural inclination is toward benevolence and mercy. Although they are aloof, they despise war. They are particularly afraid of bloodshed, and it can even make them fall ill. Since they cannot fight with swords, they use Shirei to protect themselves. Shirei are youma that have formed pacts of servitude with the Kirin. They would never attack a human of their own volition, come what may. It would go against their fundamental nature.”

“So why?”

“Why, indeed? The king is a Kirin’s master. A Kirin can never disobey their king. Although a Kirin would never willingly harm a human, a king’s orders would force their hand. There’s no other explanation for why the Shirei would attack you—a king is behind this.”

“So this…Jyoei person has a Kirin under her command?”

“No. There’s only one Kirin per nation. The Kirin either have a master or are actively looking for one—there’s no in between.”

This would mean that the king of another nation really was out for Youko’s life. The thought jogged something in Youko’s memory.

That woman I met on the mountain path… She had seemed despondent over the death of a youma. What if that youma was her Shirei? When the parrot ordered her to kill Youko, she wept yet ultimately did not refuse. It all made sense if that parrot was a king and that woman was a Kirin.

“But which king?”

Which country’s monarch was responsible for this?

The king of En turned his gaze toward nowhere in particular. “The answer will come in time.”

“But—”

“As long as the queen of Kei is in my jurisdiction, no other king can lift a finger against you. Keiki’s indisposed, but he’s still a Kirin, which means he’s not so easy to kill. That means that the king who ordered your assassination will have to reveal himself eventually. The heavens won’t let him off the hook.”

“I…don’t really understand.”

“Just leave it be. You’ll find out who gave the order when you look at how the countries are doing. But,” the king added with a cocky smile, “Keiki is a prisoner in Kei. That’s more than enough reason for you to get involved. If you want to save him and protect yourself, you’ll need someone to take you to a safe place. Shall we get going?”

“What, right now?”

“If you can. There’s enough time to pick up your things from your inn, if that’s what you want. I’d like you to come to my residence.”

Youko looked at Rakushun.

Rakushun nodded. “You should go, Youko. That’s the safest option.”

“But—”

“Don’t you worry about me. Go.”

The king of En laughed heartily at this. “It’s hardly a problem to accommodate one more person. There’s more than enough old rooms in there collecting dust.”

“Oh, but I couldn’t possibly—”

“There’ll be a bunch of people making nuisances of themselves, but if you don’t mind that, then come. It should be safer for you that way, Queen of Kei.”

The residence in question was the Genei Palace in Kankyuu. Inwardly, Youko had to marvel at the king’s audacity to liken it to a decrepit old house. She looked at Rakushun.

“Let’s go. I’d feel anxious leaving you behind,” she said.

Rakushun nodded stiffly.

THE KING LED THEM TO A DESERTED CORNER OF town, then whistled loudly with his fingers.

It would have taken another month to reach Kankyuu on foot. Moreover, they could not leave or enter towns at night. Just as Youko was wondering how exactly the king planned to leave the town and head for Kankyuu, two silhouettes appeared on the wall, responding to the whistle.

They were tigers, with fur that looked as if it were faintly gleaming. Depending on the light, their black stripes turned white—not as faint as a pearl, but not as thick as oil film either. Their striking eyes were like black opals, and their magnificently long tails swished in the night.

Youko had ridden a tiger like these before, on the night when she first crossed the Kyokai. This time, she did not travel alone. Beneath the half-moon sky, the tigers raced for Kankyuu.

It was a terribly nostalgic experience. Looking back, she marveled at how much time had passed. It was still cold when Hyouki, Keiki’s Shirei, had carried her across the sea. Back then, Youko knew nothing—not about Keiki or herself.

Now it was summer. The nights were humid, and the absence of wind around the tigers felt somehow lonely.

Just like the night she crossed the Kyokai, the beasts’ feet were unbounded in the sky, and the world seemed to unfold below them. The nights in the Kingdom of En were bright. The hamlets and huts looked like the tiny constellations glimmering within the Kyokai.

“Youko, that’s Kankyuu over there,” said Rakushun as he clung to her back and pointed with his tiny arm. They had been traveling for about two hours.

Youko could not see anything in the direction Rakushun pointed. There were no city lights, only an impenetrable darkness. Just as she was about to ask “Where?” Youko realized that she had been mistaken. Rakushun was not pointing at something in the darkness but at the darkness itself.

“No…way…”

The world below was the color of the deep sea. Youko could see the faint white outline of a forest bathed in the half-moon’s light. It was like an ocean wave. Countless torchlights dotted the scene—except for where there was a deep, inky black hole.

No. It was not a hole. There was a black silhouette, lit by the half-moon. It gaped like a hole, but it wasn’t. If anything, it jutted from the ground…

“A mountain.”

Was there any mountain like this? She was so high in the sky that the hamlets looked like dots, but she had to look up to see the mountain’s towering scale.

Rakushun had once said that this mountain reached into the heavens. But Youko had never imagined that it actually reached them. She instantly felt like a small and pathetic creature.

The mountain was like a majestic pillar connecting the heavens and the earth. It stood out in such stark contrast to the gentle slopes around it that it felt like looking at a vertically pointed writing brush. Clouds obscured the forbidding-looking inclines at the top, making it impossible to see the summit in any detail.

The rock surface of the mountain’s silhouette appeared uncannily like an enormous wall.

“That’s Kankyuu? The mountain?”

Youko’s eyes flitted between her feet and the shadowy mass. She could tell there was still a considerable distance between her and the mountain—and yet the size of that thing…

“Yup,” said Rakushun. “That’s Mount Kankyuu. Every kingdom has its palace on a mountain. Genei Palace is on the summit there.”

The lines on the cliff looked faintly white in the moonlight. The angle was so steep that it was almost a vertical drop. Youko looked for the shape of a palace, but it was impossible to make out through the clouds. Instead, she spotted a pinprick of light at the mountain’s foot.

Given that it was the capital city, it had to be larger than Ugou. It was so far away that the entire city looked like a single light source.

For a while, Youko was lost in a stupor. She was so close to the town, but despite the swiftness of her flying mount, Kankyuu never seemed to appear any nearer. It was as if the city was fleeing from her.

Eventually, they came so close to the mountain that the entire thing hovered in her view without her having to move her head. Finally, when she was no longer able to see the summit even when she craned her neck, Kankyuu’s outline became clear.

At the foot of the impenetrable peak, the town of Kankyuu sprawled across the gentle hills in the shape of an arc. With such a colossal object behind it, the nights there had to be terribly long.

When Youko asked Rakushun about this, he responded in the affirmative.

“I’ve been to Gousou in the Kingdom of Kou. That’s what it was like, yeah. Gousou’s mountain is at its east, so twilight would last for ages.”

“I see…”

From her vantage point in the sky, she could tell that Kankyuu was an enormous town. A sea of twinkling lights spread out below her feet. Before her were perpendicular cliffs as far as the eye could see. There was not a single tree in sight on the craggy rock surface. Even in the night, it stood out like a beacon.

The king of En went on ahead of them. Soaring high into the sky, he swooped down upon a rocky landing jutting from the cliff.

The landing had the surface area of a small gymnasium; it looked like a large clump of rock that had been chiseled away to be perfectly level. When Youko and Rakushun’s mount reached the ground, the king looked back over his shoulder at them.

There was a smile on his face. “Looks like you made it in one piece.”

Youko wondered how she could fall off the tiger’s back when she felt no shaking or air resistance.

The king seemed to have read her mind, because he smiled again. “You could get dizzy from the height. Or curiosity could get the better of you. Or you could take a snooze. It’s been known to happen.”

Fair enough, Youko thought with a sheepish smile.

The white stone on the landing had been made flat by human hands. Intricate patterns were carved deep into the pavement, perhaps to prevent people from slipping. There were no handrails in the vicinity, which made Youko very hesitant about taking even a step toward the edge. She didn’t want to imagine just how far she was off the ground.

The king of En swung around and headed for a large pair of doors further along the cliff. Before he even reached them, they swung inward.

Being twice the size of an adult human, the white stone doors looked awfully heavy. It required two soldiers to open, although Youko had no idea whether they were actually soldiers. She just assumed they were because of the thick leather breastplates they wore.

The king of En nodded at the men before turning to Youko and Rakushun. As he stepped inside, his eyes urged them to follow. When Youko and Rakushun passed through the gates, the two soldiers bowed lightly and ran outside to the two tigers resting on the landing. Perhaps the tigers were treated like horses in the sense that they received water, food, and a brushing for their troubles.

“What’s the matter? This way.”

The king looked at Youko. Hurriedly, she followed him into a cavernous hallway.

With the chandelier-like torchlights hanging above them, the room was as bright as midday. Judging by how Rakushun’s whiskers twitched in surprise as he stared at the ceiling, this was probably an uncommon sight.

Despite its considerable width, the hallway was not terribly long. They emerged into a small reception room which connected to a flight of steps inside a tunnel-like arch. As they ascended the white stone stairs, Rakushun looked up, his whiskers hanging low in dejection. The king of En, who had gone on ahead of them, looked back over his shoulder.

“What’s wrong? No need to be shy.”

Rakushun winced slightly. “Oh, nothing.”

Youko understood all too well what he was feeling.

“Hey, Youko,” Rakushun said to her in a hushed tone, “do we have to climb this all the way?”

“I suppose we have to,” Youko replied, feeling slightly annoyed herself.

They’d landed fairly high up the mountain, but they were still far from the summit. Given that the distance was probably equivalent to a skyscraper, she could only imagine how exhausting it would be to climb.

Youko did not give voice to these complaints, however. Silently, she put her foot on the steps, unconsciously pulling Rakushun by the hand as she did so. Although the individual steps were low enough, the staircase itself was sprawling. She followed the king onto a large landing. After a sharp ninety-degree turn, another flight of stairs revealed itself.

These stairs led to a small hall, at the very end of which lay an immaculately sculpted wooden door adorned with skillful and elaborate carvings. Past the door, a gentle breeze blew, thick with the scent of the sea.

“Oh!” Youko gasped inadvertently.

The door opened to a terrace, which made her realize that they were already above the clouds. They had not climbed very far on the stairs, yet by some mystery, they were already this high. White stones paved the floor as well as the handrails overlooking the billowing white clouds. They looked like tidal waves—no, they were waves. Youko’s eyes turned wide.

“Rakushun, there’s a sea!” she exclaimed, momentarily forgetting herself. She ran to the handrail and peered down—high waves rolled against the terrace. Between the view and the scent, it could not have been a more typical sea.

“Well, ’course. We’re in the sky,” said Rakushun.

Youko whipped her head back at him. “There are seas in the sky?”

“Why would they have the phrase ‘Sea of Clouds’ if there was no sea up here?”

The wind blew their way, carrying with it the salty smell of the sea. Dark waters made up the entire view underneath them. Craning her head over the handrail, Youko saw the tide push all the way up against the terrace. Within the watery depths were lights. It looked similar to the Kyokai, although she knew that the beacons came from Kankyuu far below.

“How strange… I wonder why the water doesn’t fall.”

“Why would it fall? That’d be a load of trouble for everyone,” Rakushun remarked.

The king of En chuckled at this. “If you’re so taken with the clouds, Queen of Kei, I can arrange a viewing platform for your room.”

“Um…” said Youko, not sure how she was meant to address the king. “Could you please stop calling me Queen of Kei?”

The king cocked an eyebrow in amusement. “Why?”

“It’s kind of…I don’t know, distant,” she said.

The king chuckled lightly. He was about to say something when his eyes suddenly swerved toward the sky. Following his gaze, Youko saw a faint white light in the distance.

“Looks like Taiho’s back. Let’s pick up the pace, Youko,” said the king, turning his back to her.

There was a short stone staircase to the left of the viewing platform. When Youko followed the king there, she looked up in blank amazement at what she found.

Square in the middle of the forbidding cliffs sat a landmass shaped like an island. Countless buildings stood on the precipice, shining bright in the moonlight. The mountain looked like something out of an ink wash painting. On top of a series of steep, towering rocks were trees with jutting branches and several small waterfalls.

Upon the sheer cliff was something fashioned in the shape of a tower, connected by sprawling hallways in every direction. It was as if the giant palace were part of the mountain itself.

Youko gazed upon Genei Palace, home to the king of En.

AS SOON AS THEY ENTERED THE BUILDING, MEN and women who appeared to be servants swarmed Youko and Rakushun. The servants dragged them away from the king and into a back room.

“Excuse me…” Youko said.

“Um…” Rakushun mumbled.

The lady-in-waiting cast an expressionless face at the bewildered Youko and Rakushun.

“Here is a change of clothes for you. Please wait, and I will bring you some hot water.”

Apparently, she wasn’t keen on them wandering around the palace in their dirty clothes. Still out of her element, Youko nodded in a daze, and the woman brought her a bucket as promised. Youko and Rakushun took turns washing themselves behind a partitioning screen before venturing into the spacious room next door, where a fresh change of clothes was folded across a large table.

“Are you gonna wear this?” Rakushun winced as he held up a lavish outfit and inspected it. “This is men’s clothing. I dunno if the king of En thought you were male or if he knew you were a girl and ordered it anyway.”

“There’s clothes for you too, Rakushun,” said Youko.

Rakushun’s shoulders drooped. “Now that I think about it, it wouldn’t do for me to meet such an important fellow in this getup.”

Well, yeah, you’re naked, thought Youko as she passed him the change of clothes. She recalled the animals she encountered on the road—a not insignificant number of them had been wearing clothes. Rakushun seemed not to be a fan, but Youko imagined he would look quite precious in an outfit.

Youko watched Rakushun retreat behind the partitioning screen, shoulders drooped and tail dragging across the floor. Then she changed into her own clothes: a large pair of trousers and a blouse, accompanied by a long jacket with a vivid, intricate pattern. Everything was made of a soft, thin silk, which felt itchy against her skin after spending so long in homespun garments.

As she wrapped an embroidered belt sash around her torso, the door opened to reveal an old man.

“Have you finished changing your attire?”

“I have. My companion needs…” A little longer, she was about to say, when the partition screen moved.

“It’s fine. I’m done,” answered a deep voice.

Youko stared vacantly. For a while, she could not muster a word at the figure that emerged from behind the partition.

“What’s the matter?” he asked.

“You’re…Rakushun, right?”

“Yup.” He nodded, and a broad grin spread across his face. “Oh, right, is this the first time you’ve seen me like this? I’m still Rakushun, don’tcha worry.”

Youko pressed her temples. Now she finally understood why Rakushun told her to have more discretion when she hugged him. “I forgot that this side is full of things that defy common sense,” she said.

“You reckon?”

He smiled. Age-wise, he appeared to be slightly over twenty. Although his build was perhaps a bit too slim, he was a healthy young man in his prime. Historically, he would have been considered a prime candidate for military conscription.

“You think an ordinary animal can talk? I told you I’m a hanjyuu,” Rakushun pointed out.

“True.”

She felt heat rising in her face. Rakushun had told her many times over that he was a hanjyuu and a grown man, but none of that sank in for her. Not only had she hugged him, she had shared rooms with him in their travels. She even got the impression that he had changed her into nightwear once, a long time ago.

“You seemed to be levelheaded about it all, so it kinda slipped my mind.”

“You were careless,” she said sourly. “Why aren’t you always in human form?”

Rakushun sighed. “The other form’s comfier.” As he spoke, his shoulders drooped underneath his crimson robe. “My shoulders get stiff whenever I have to dress up. But I gotta suck it up for today…”

His muttering sounded genuinely forlorn. Youko gave him a light smile.

The old man led them down a long hallway, from which they eventually emerged into a large room. A sea scent wafted through a French window.

The king of En, who was standing by the terrace facing the water, looked back over his shoulder at them. He had changed his clothes as well, though it was not terribly different from the hou that Youko and Rakushun were wearing. Given that Youko and Rakushun’s attire was not too high-end, it meant that the king was in relatively plain clothes. He seemed to be quite the no-frills type.

The king strode into the room with a wry smile on his face. “You’re all freshened up? My retainers are sticklers for formality. As annoying as it is, you’d best do what they say. Sorry about that.”

Youko thought that the king was perhaps a bit too casual, but his way of speaking was rather endearing. She forced herself to restrain a smile.

“Rakushun, I won’t mind if you take that off,” the king said.

The young man—Rakushun—put on a stiff smile. “Please don’t concern yourself with me. May I inquire about Taiho?”

“He’s here.”

No sooner were those words out of the king’s mouth than the door swung upon, causing a rush of wind and a salty scent to fill the room.

“You’re back, huh?” A blond-haired boy who looked to be about twelve or thirteen emerged from behind the door.

“How were things on your end?” asked the king.

“Looks like they haven’t managed to make their way up to the palace.” The boy paused. “Rare for you to have guests.”

“They’re not for me. They’re for you.”

“Me? Dunno ’em.” The boy scowled as he peered at Youko and Rakushun. “Okay? So who are you two?”

“How about you try speaking less like a brute?” the king chided.

“How about you try keeping your mouth to yourself?”

“You might regret that.”

“Oh? So you’re finally in the mood to get hitched?”

“This isn’t a joke.”

“Okay, second guess. She’s your mom?”

“What, so you can’t be polite to someone unless she’s my wife or mother?” the king of En said with a sigh, throwing an exasperated look over his shoulder at Youko. “Apologies for this fellow’s rudeness. He is the Kirin of En—Enki. Rokuta, allow me to introduce you to the queen of Kei.”

“Ngh!” The boy flinched. He looked up at Youko with a mighty groan on his lips.

At this point, Youko could not hold back any longer—she burst into giggles. It might have been the first time she laughed out loud since crossing the Kyokai.

“You shoulda said so sooner,” the boy said to the king. “That’s what’s annoying about you.”

“Like you’re one to talk. The man next to her is Rakushun-dono.” The king chuckled lightly, and then his face turned serious. “So how’s the situation in Kei?”

It was the boy’s turn to look grave. “Add Ki to the list of fallen provinces.”

Rakushun wrote out the spelling for Youko: the “ki” in “chronicle.” Although the language was being translated on its own accord, he never dropped the habit of writing things out for her. Youko had no problem understanding the spoken language, but it didn’t help her with the written side of things.

“Which means the last one standing is the Baku Province in the north. Jyoei’s in the Sei Province, same as ever. Her army’s gotten bigger. The Royal Army wouldn’t stand a chance against her,” the boy said.

Rakushun wrote the characters for “Royal Army.” It was the historical way of referring to a king’s army.

“The false queen’s army is already on its way to the Baku Province. The Baku lord’s army is three thousand men strong—no way it can compete with what she’s got. It’s only a matter of time,” the boy said as he sat on the table. He started chewing on a piece of fruit there. “Soooo, where’d you find the queen of Kei?”

The king of En gave him a brief summary of the situation. Enki listened quietly to the story, a grimace on his face.

“Are they brainless or what? Imagine making a Kirin attack people.”

“I expect the situation will resolve itself even if we let the mastermind be. But we must get Keiki out of their clutches, at the very least.”

Enki nodded at that. “Gotta move fast. They might kill him if they find out the real queen’s over here.”

“Excuse me,” Youko interjected. “Would you mind explaining this in more detail?”

The king of En simply cocked an eyebrow at her.

“I came to this side without knowing a single thing about it,” Youko went on. “I only know I’m the queen of Kei because you told me so. If you say that another king is after my life, then I suppose that must be true as well. But I never asked to be the queen. I did not reach out to you because I was seeking validation. I simply wanted your help because I was sick of being attacked by youma. I was sick of being pursued by soldiers in Kou. I just wanted to find out a way to return to Wa.”

The king of En and his Kirin exchanged looks. For a short while, silence stretched between them.

It was the king of En who broke the impasse. “Youko, take a seat.”

“But I—”

“Sit down. This is going to be a long story. And it’s best you hear it out. All of it.”

FOR A WHILE, THE KING OF EN TURNED HIS GAZE away, saying he was trying to figure out where to begin.

“Where there are people,” he said finally, “there is a country. And a country needs somebody to govern it. You get me so far?”

“Yes.”

“On this side, there are kings and queens. We are in charge of governance. And because it is the monarchs who take the reins, their policies will not always reflect the wishes of the people. If anything, those with power can lean toward arrogance. Sometimes, the monarch will even oppress the very people they are meant to serve. I will not say that kings and queens are inherently bad; they just cease to be an ordinary citizen the moment they obtain power. They lose touch with their subjects’ feelings.”

“I heard that you are a king of exceptional wisdom, Your Majesty,” Youko said.

The king smiled wryly. “That isn’t what I was getting at. Let’s take this one step at a time. Say a king is oppressing his people. What should the people do if they want salvation?”

“One answer to that is demock-rassee.” It was Enki who spoke up; the word democracy sounded unfamiliar on his lips. “The people decide their king for themselves and kick him out when he’s no longer convenient.”

“Indeed,” the king said. “This side has a different method. If a king oppresses the people, then the answer is to replace him with a king who does not. That’s where the Kirin come in.”

“So the Kirin choose the monarchs on behalf of the people…?”

“Not an incorrect assumption. Here, it’s called the will of the heavens. The Lord Above is omnipresent; he created the land, the nations, and the soul of society. The Kirin choose the kings and queens according to the will of the heavens. To rule is to accept the Mandate of Heaven.”

“The Mandate of Heaven…”

“The kings are obliged to protect their nation, save the common people, and maintain peace and stability. The Kirin choose people who are capable of that. A ruler can only take the throne because they are chosen. Through the Kirin, the heavens select wise individuals for the task. Some people might call me a wise king, but they’re off the mark—every monarch has the qualities of a wise ruler.”

Youko made no sound to indicate that she was following the conversation. She fell into silence.

“That said, Wa and Kan have plenty of wise individuals as well. Why do you think those countries have failed to find lasting peace despite their talents?”

Youko cocked her head slightly. “Even so-called ‘wise rulers’ can stray off the path. And even if they stay true, their lives are finite. Whoever takes the reins after them is not guaranteed to be a wise ruler themselves. Is that the answer you seek?”

“Precisely. That being the case, the solution is to make the wise rulers gods so that they cannot die. That solves half the problem. When a king or queen dies, the Kirin can just look for another candidate instead of passing the throne to the next person in the bloodline. And the Kirin can watch the monarchs so that they do not stray off the path. How does that sound?”

“It…makes sense,” Youko admitted.

The king gave a single nod. “At the moment, I’ve been given custody of the Kingdom of En. It was Enki who chose me to be the king. It doesn’t matter how much somebody wants the throne or how hard they work; they won’t become king or queen unless a Kirin chooses them. The Kirin use their intuition for the decision, similar to how a man chooses a woman, or how a woman chooses a man. I’m a Taika. I was not raised on this side. Like you, I was chosen by a Kirin without even knowing what a king of this side was. The heavens laid down their mandate, and I am powerless to change it.”

“Is that…the same for me? I’m not allowed to go back?”

“If you want to go back, you can. But you are still the monarch of the east Kingdom of Kei. That is the one truth you cannot reject.”

Youko hung her head dejectedly.

“The Kirin exchange an oath with the monarch of their choosing. They swear never to leave their liege’s side or disobey their orders. After the monarch takes the throne, the Kirin waits in the wings and assumes the role of chancellor.”

“Does that apply to Enki? Is he a chancellor?” Youko peered at Enki as he sat cross-legged on top of the table.

The king smiled faintly. “He sure doesn’t look it, but yes. Despite appearances, all Kirin are compassionate creatures. They’re practically made of righteousness and benevolence.”

Enki scowled, which elicited a wry smile from his master.

“Taiho exclusively recommend righteousness and mercy. But a soft hand alone won’t bring order to a country. Sometimes, I’ve ignored Enki and done some ruthless things. If it means justice for the nation, I’ve got to do it. If I did everything Enki told me to, the kingdom would fall to ruin.”

“I…see…”

“Say there’s a criminal who kills someone for their money. But let’s also say this criminal has a starving wife and child. Enki would tell me to help them. But letting criminals off the hook would set a poor example for everyone else in the country. As unfortunate as it is, the criminal must be punished.”

Youko hesitated and said, “Right.”

“Say I were to order Enki to kill the criminal. Kirin would never dream of murdering people, but in that situation, he would do what I say, however grudgingly. A Kirin always abides by their monarch—no exceptions. They physically cannot disobey. If you were to seriously order your Kirin to die, then die they would.”

“So if I’m following this correctly, all you have to do is get chosen, and then you can do whatever you like?”

“There’s the rub. Righteousness and benevolence reflect the heavens’ will—it is their ideal way of governing a nation. There are times when you must do something, however unjust or merciless you believe it to be. But if you cross the line, you lose the Mandate of Heaven.”

Youko simply looked at the king.

“While you can be ruthless for the sake of the kingdom, go too far with it and you’ll lose your right to the throne. On a fundamental level, the monarchs are merely borrowing their thrones from the heavens. If we lose our way and forfeit the Mandate of Heaven, our Kirin fall ill. This illness is called the Shitsudou.”

The king wrote the characters for “lost” and “path” in the air. Youko burned the image into her mind.

“The Kirin only suffer from this illness when their monarch has lost sight of themselves. If the king fixes the root cause in his personality, the Kirin’s condition will improve. Otherwise, the Kirin will continue to languish. However, fixing one’s personality is easier said than done. There are very few cases of Kirin being cured of their Shitsudou.”

“What happens if they don’t get better?”

“If left unchecked, the Kirin dies. And if a Kirin dies, their king dies with them.”

“They’ll die…” Youko repeated hollowly.

“Human lives are short. The reason why the kings don’t age or die is because they act on behalf of the heavens. They are gods, hence they are immortal. It is the Kirin who make the kings into gods. That’s why if a Kirin dies, their king dies with them.”

Youko nodded.

“There is one other way of curing a Kirin besides changing your personality,” the king continued.

“And that is?”

“Releasing the Kirin from their service. The simplest way is for the monarch to let themselves die. They can die, but the Kirin will not.”

“And that will save the Kirin?”

“It would.” The king paused. “That is what happened to Keiki.”

He let out a light sigh.

“Kei’s previous ruler was the Prophet Queen. Though she was a queen, she was fundamentally a human. Although she had the qualifications, that was no guarantee that she would never err. The Prophet Queen was infatuated with Keiki. She never allowed other women around him. She would lord over her ladies-in-waiting and act jealous around them. Eventually, she crossed the line and drove all the women out of the palace. She even tried to expel all the women in the country. When Keiki tried to stick up for them, she crossed the line even further—and when she tried to kill the remaining women in the country, Keiki fell ill,” the king explained.

“What happened then?”

“The reason the queen lost her way was because of her love for Keiki. She would not have been happy to see him die. At the very least, she was not that far gone. She climbed Mount Hou and asked to abdicate. The heavens allowed it, and Keiki was released from the Prophet Queen’s service. The rest, as they say, is history.”

“What happened to her?” Youko asked.

“When you become a monarch, you die and are reborn as a god. It is impossible to keep living except as a king or queen.”

So that was how the previous ruler of Kei died.

“You have already been chosen by Keiki. To succeed the throne, you must climb Mount Hou and receive the heavens’ decree, but if you have already exchanged an oath with Keiki, then you have practically succeeded already. The heavens have laid down their mandate—you are the queen of Kei. That fact you cannot change.” The king paused. “Do you understand?”

Youko nodded.

“Monarchs have an obligation to govern. It is up to you whether you abandon your country and return to Wa, but a kingdom without a monarch to rule it will fall into chaos. And if that were to happen, then the heavens will surely abandon you.”

“Then Keiki will get sick with Shitsudou. And then I’ll die.”

“Probably. But if you’ll allow me to speak in platitudes, your actions won’t end there. The lives of the people of Kei are also at stake. We rulers don’t just serve to govern, we steer the country away from natural disasters and curb the youma. In your absence, the youma will multiply, storms will brew, and the sun and waters will rage. Diseases will spread, and the people’s hearts will waver. The land will be ravaged, and people will suffer terrible hardship.”

“The country will fall to ruin?”

“Exactly. Keiki had trouble finding the Prophet Queen, leaving the throne vacant for a long time. Meanwhile, the land languished and the people were impoverished. Having Keiki succumb to Shitsudou after all that has made the country lose its stability. This newest dilemma certainly isn’t helping. Many citizens have fled their country to the nearby kingdoms of En and Kou, but Kei still has many people left suffering from the youma and the natural disasters. There is only one way to save them.”

“Installing the true ruler as soon as possible?”

“Indeed.”

Youko shook her head. “That’s so beyond me.”

“Why do you say that? I think you’ve got exactly what it takes.”

“No way…”

“You are the master of yourself, and you understand the responsibility that comes with being yourself. Anyone who doesn’t understand that would be hopeless as a ruler. Those who cannot rule themselves cannot possibly rule a country.”

“I’m…not the right person for this.”

“Ah, but—”

“Shouryuu,” Enki spoke up reproachfully, “don’t force her. What she does with the Kingdom of Kei is her business. As long as she’s prepared for the consequences of her actions, she can do whatever she wants.”

The king of En let out a sigh. “You’re right. But,” he said, turning to Youko, “I have one thing to ask of you. Although I’ve done everything within my power to help the citizens of Kei, En’s treasury is not limitless. I’d like you to save your country.”

Youko struggled to find words. “Let me think about it.” She looked squarely at her feet. At that moment, she did not even have it in her to lift her head.

“If you don’t mind me speaking…” Rakushun interjected. “I believe I have an inkling as to which king is after Youko’s life.”

The king looked at Enki, who looked the other way.

“Who do you think it is?” the king asked Rakushun slowly.

“I’ve got the feeling…that it’s probably the king of Kou.”

Youko looked at Rakushun. For a moment, it was hard for her to associate the frowning young man with the good-natured rat. “Why do you say that?”

Speaking to Youko, Rakushun adopted his usual informal tone. “I don’t got proof, of course. It’s just that you were all banged up runnin’ ’round the mountains, Youko. I doubt that every youma that came after you was a Kirin’s Shirei. I mean, there aren’t even that many youma in the mountains. Even if half of ’em were Shirei, there were still way too many. That’s what makes me think the Kingdom of Kou’s got a hand in this.”

The king of En nodded. “That sounds about right. As a matter of fact, the king of Kou strongly requested that En hand over the escaped Kaikyaku from Kou. Kou being the kind of kingdom it is, this isn’t the first time a Kaikyaku has run away. But it is a first for the king to make that request. I thought it was odd, so I sent Enki to investigate, and it looks like someone in Kou’s been funneling money to Jyoei. Not to mention that Kou itself is in a rough state. Just when I was starting to suspect the king, the news came in yesterday that his Kirin has Shitsudou.”

“The Kirin of Kou…Shitsudou,” Rakushun muttered. His young, gentle-looking face scrunched into a grimace. “Then…is this the end of Kou?”

“Isn’t there something you can do?” Youko asked.

The three others in the room had gloom written across their faces. The person who answered her question was, predictably, the king of En.

“As an acquaintance of his, it’s easy for me to give the king of Kou a warning, but he’s refusing visitors at the moment. Even if I could see him, there’s nothing I can do if he isn’t aware of where he went wrong. The only way to right this situation is if the true ruler of Kei were to receive the Mandate of Heaven and fill the empty throne. I don’t know what the king of Kou had in mind when he first started meddling with Kei, but if his plan was to install a puppet ruler and seize control of the country, then the presence of a true ruler would nip his foolish ambitions in the bud.”

Youko felt the unspoken words in his gaze. For a while, she hung her head down and said nothing at all.

“Please,” she said finally, “give me time.”

Chapter Eight

YOUKO WAS GIVEN AN EXTRAVAGANT ROOM WITH a tall ceiling. Everything about it oozed luxury. Fancy interior decorations were a given, of course, but the quality even extended to the cups and glasses on the table.

The room itself was large, and so were the windows, which even had glass in them. Flowers and incense completed the picture. A farmer living in rural Kou would have keeled over at the sight. After traveling so thriftily, Youko was in much the same frame of mind—the opulence made her antsy.

After she went down to her room, she had some time to herself. She tried to use this free time for thinking, but the soft brocade chairs were hard to sit on, and she hesitated to rest her finger on the table because the mother-of-pearl inlay would be easily dirtied by her fingerprints.

Upon looking around, Youko discovered a smaller adjoining room that was only around four-and-a-half tatami mats wide. Feeling that this would be better for her nerves, she approached it, sighing under her breath.

The partition between the two rooms was made of multiple layers of intricate fretwork. Upon taking her first step inside, Youko noticed a sudden elevation. Instead of a room, she had come upon a stand. A silken curtain hung half open over it, revealing fine bedding fit for a four-and-a-half-tatami-sized bed.

There was only one conclusion to make: This was a terrible joke. She highly doubted that lying on a bed the size of a room would help her get her thoughts in order, let alone sleep.

Feeling aimless, Youko opened the massive French window in her room. It reached from the floor all the way to the ceiling. The sliding wooden bolt, which served to hold the window shut, had a geometric pattern. The windowpanes contained colored glass through which Youko could see a spacious terrace outside. The king of En had given her a room with a terrace overlooking the Sea of Clouds, just as he said he would.

Opening the window caused the sea breeze to waft inside. Youko stepped outside onto a white stone-paved terrace the size of a small garden. She circled around the building, walked over to the handrail, and gazed vacantly below. The moon had descended for the most part, sinking into the sea above the clouds. Directly below her feet, she watched the waves lap against the stone landing.

Youko was still watching in a trance when she heard footsteps approaching from behind. Looking over her shoulder, she saw a furry brown-gray creature walking toward her.

“Taking a walk?” she asked, prompting Rakushun to grin sheepishly.

“Sort of.” He paused and said, “Can’t sleep?”

“Nope. What about you, Rakushun?”

“I got no chance of snoozin’ in a room like that. Really wish I’d stayed at the inn.”

“Same here,” said Youko, to which the rat burst out laughing.

“We can’t have you saying that, Youko. You’ve got a palace just like this one!”

This made Youko’s smile recede. “Oh, right… Of course I’d have one.”

Rakushun shuffled over next to her and gazed down along with her at the sea.

“Kei’s palace is in Gyouten in the Ei Province. It’s called the Kinpa Palace.”

Youko was hardly interested in this information; she could only reply with an unenthusiastic “I see.” Rakushun fell silent for a short while.

“Hey, Youko,” he said after a pause.

“Yes…?”

“Keiki’s been captured by that Jyoei lady, the false queen.”

“Apparently.”

“If the king of Kou wants to stop you from getting to the throne, he has one surefire method up his sleeve.”

“Killing Keiki.”

“Yup. If Keiki dies, you die. I dunno if it’ll actually happen to you since you haven’t climbed Mount Hou yet and officially received the heavens’ decree, but it sure sounds like the case.”

Youko nodded. “I agree. I stopped being human when I exchanged that oath with Keiki. I suppose that’s the whole reason why my body’s more durable, why I can understand the language and use the sword, and even why I could cross the Kyokai to begin with.”

“Yeah, probably. If Keiki’s in enemy hands, to protect yourself, you gotta—”

“I don’t want to hear it,” Youko interrupted him.

“Youko…”

“Don’t give me that. I’m not throwing a tantrum. I do now fully understand what it means to be queen and what a Kirin is. That’s why I don’t want to make the decision out of self-preservation or anything.”

“But—”

“I don’t want you to think I’ve given up on myself, though.” Youko smiled. “Ever since I came to this side, I’ve been a hair’s breadth away from death. I’ve managed to scrape through somehow, but I think that was because of luck. Without it, I was as good as dead when I came here. So I’m not going to put too much weight on my life. Or at least, I don’t want to weigh my life against other people’s.”

Rakushun made an audible gulp.

“I’m not going to make a snap decision because I’m scared for my life. I know that everyone’s counting on me. But if I decide how I live based on what other people want, I’ll never be able to shoulder the responsibility. I want to think about it properly. That’s how I see it.”

Rakushun’s jet-black eyes peered up at her. “I don’t really get why you’re so torn up about this.”

“I can’t do it.”

“Why do you say that?”

“I know just how much of a despicable person I am. I’m not queen material. Nothing so great as that.”

“Aww, don’t say that.”

“If you’re half a beast, Rakushun, then I am too. I might look human at first glance, but I’m a beast on the inside.”

“Youko…”

Youko gripped the handrail. The smooth stone felt utterly delicate and beautiful under her skin. Below, through the transparent waters, she could see the lights of Kankyuu glimmering like fireflies. The waves made a calming sound as they rolled gently against the rocks.

It was a breathtakingly picturesque scene—one in which she did not belong. Kinpa Palace in the town of Gyouten was just as beautiful, most likely. More than intimidated, she felt repulsed at the thought of herself living there.

Rakushun let out a sigh. “Kirin don’t just choose ordinary folks to be ruler.”

“Even if I was chosen by a Kirin, I am who I am. I’ve been tempted to steal and threaten people. I actually did threaten someone to live. I’ve let my suspicions of others cloud my judgment. I abandoned you, Rakushun, just to save my own skin. I thought about killing you.”

“The king of En said you can do it.”

“He doesn’t know about the awful things I’ve done.”

“I know you can do it. If I’m saying it after you thought about killing me, then it’s gotta be true.”

Youko peered down at Rakushun. The rat, whose full height only reached up to the pit of Youko’s stomach, poked his head out from the handrail and fixed his gaze on the sea above the clouds.

“I…can’t do it…” Youko mumbled as she stared at the sea.

Rakushun did not answer her. His tiny hands tapped Youko’s arm. When she looked over her shoulder at him, he already had his brown-gray back turned to her.

“Rakushun…”

“I’d hesitate in your shoes too, so I wouldn’t say it’s wrong to think twice. Give it a good think.”

Facing away from her, the rat raised his arm as he walked away from the handrail. He did not look back. Youko watched him leave.

“Not even Rakushun knows everything about me,” she muttered under her breath.

It was then that it happened.

“I know about you.”

It was not Youko talking to herself. She whipped her head up as if she had been slapped across the face. However much she scanned her surroundings, however, the voice was not something she could hear with her ears.

“You were never alone. I know everything.”

“Jyouyuu…?”

“Set your aspirations for the throne. I know that you are worthy of it.”

No answer sprang to Youko’s lips. Part of it was because she was too shocked at being spoken to, but it was also because of what she was being told.

“Please forgive me for disobeying your command, my liege.”

The word “command” made Youko recall what Keiki once said: “Pretend you are not there.” Was that the reason why Jyouyuu never once spoke to Youko up until now?

She had called him a monster and screeched about taking him off. This was the consequence of her own actions.

“I really am…such a fool…”

This time, there was no reply to her mutterings.

THE NEXT MORNING, A LADY-IN-WAITING WOKE Youko up. When she took her seat for breakfast, she responded to the inquisitive stares that came her way with a shake of her head. Today, Rakushun was in his rat form, head drooped and whiskers twitching. Enki and the king’s expressions also betrayed some slight disappointment.

“It’s your people. You can do as you please…” The king of En spoke with a strained smile. “But still, I must insist on taking you to Keiki, at the very least. That would be especially prudent if you plan not to take the throne. I would hope that the kingdom can still retain a Saiho. What do you say?”

Youko nodded at the king’s words. “I still haven’t made a decision, but I’m not opposed to taking Keiki back. What’s your plan with that?”

“You’ll just have to seize him back by force. I’m told Keiki is in the Sei Province—right in the middle of the false queen’s army.”

“If I get Keiki back, would I be able to go home? Just out of curiosity.”

The king nodded. “The Kirin can manifest Shoku. Now that your body is capable of crossing the Kyokai, it should be a simple matter. If you absolutely insist on returning, I promise that Enki can send you home even if Keiki refuses.”

He’s a fair person, Youko thought. He could easily have strong-armed her into becoming queen by saying that he would not send her back if she refused.

“I’m against it. If you’re gonna go back, convince Keiki to send you,” Enki piped up.

The king scowled at the boy. “Rokuta.”

“She doesn’t seem to be aware, so lemme fill her in: If you make a Shoku happen, there’s gonna be a natural disaster. If it’s just a Kirin going, then they could limit it to some strong wind, but if they take a monarch with them, it’s a guaranteed calamity. People even die on the other side too.”

“In Wa?”

“Yeah. The two sides aren’t meant to mix. The Shoku that brought you here apparently harmed quite a lot of people in Kou, but it wasn’t so bad since you weren’t queen yet. It’ll be different this time. I don’t wanna be complicit.”

“If I do return home, I’ll make sure not to involve you, Enki.”

“Best of luck to you, then.” Rokuta nodded with a stiff smile.

The king of En spoke up next, his voice hard. “But listen, Youko. Even if you do return to the other side, you won’t necessarily be safe there.”

“I know.”

Unless something happened to change his mind, the king of Kou would probably send youma to the other side. A natural disaster would occur if she returned, and the people there would get mixed up in the youma attacks.

Youko brought misfortune wherever she went. Despite knowing that going back home would spell trouble for both sides, she could not make up her mind.

“Would I be able to deal with the king of Kou before going back?” she asked.

“You can’t. Or at least, I wouldn’t help you with that.”

“Is it impossible?”

The king of En nodded. “If there’s one thing you should take from me, it’s this—there are three crimes that a monarch must never commit. First is defying the Mandate of Heaven and shirking the path of benevolence. Second is choosing your own death instead of the Mandate of Heaven. And finally, the third is invading another kingdom, even for the sake of quelling a civil war.”

Youko nodded. “But what about your idea of stealing Keiki from the Kingdom of Kei?”

“If you’re the one who leads the charge, it’ll be your military expedition. We’d just be accepting your request for help.”

“I see.”

The king of En grinned broadly at her. “En can lend you its army to take back Keiki. What do you say?”

Youko smiled sheepishly and bowed. “I would be honored. I apologize for saying so many things that disappoint you.”

Enki’s face puckered into a smile. “Shouryuu always wanted another Taika ruler around. Don’t worry about it. I mean, he was the only Taika king this whole time.”

“Is he the only one right now?” asked Youko.

“At the moment, yeah,” Enki said. “There were others in the past, but not too many.”

“Are you a Taika too, Enki?”

“Yep. Me, Naotaka, and Taiki. You’re the fourth one.”

“Taiki… I’m guessing he’s the Kirin of Tai?”

“Yep. The hatchling of the Outer Kingdom of Tai.”

“What do you mean, hatchling?”

“He’s not a full-grown Kirin.”

“What about you, Enki?”

“I’m as adult as they come. When a Kirin reaches maturity, their physical appearance stops changing.”

“So you grew up quicker than Keiki did, I see.”

“Sure did,” he said, sounding proud of himself. Youko found this amusing.

The king of En simply smiled stiffly. “Taiki wasn’t fully grown?”

“Yeah.”

“Why the past tense?” asked Youko.

Enki grimaced and exchanged glances with the king. “Taiki died. Or at least that’s the story we heard. The Kingdom of Tai’s going through a lot of strife right now. The whereabouts of both Taiki and the king are unknown.”

Youko sighed. “This side has its troubles too.”

“There’s trouble wherever there’s people. That’s life for you.” Enki paused. “His name…was Takasato, I think. I reckon he’d be around the same age as you.”

“He’s a boy?”

“The ‘ki’ is a male signifier. He was a beautiful black Kirin,” Enki said.

“A black one?”

“Have you seen a Kirin before?”

“Only in human form,” said Youko.

“Usually, their fur is orange-gold, their backs are spotted, and their manes are gold.”

“The same color as your hair, Enki?”

“Yeah. Apparently, this isn’t hair. It’s my mane.”

Oh, that explains it, thought Youko.

“Taiki’s mane is as black as polished steel. His fur is jet black, his back is silver… Well, I guess his spots had a unique color.”

“Is that rare?”

“Sure is. If you go back through history, there’s hardly any black-maned Kirin. Apparently, there’s red Kirin and white Kirin as well, but I’ve never seen ’em.”

“Interesting…”

“If Taiki’s dead, the king of Tai shouldn’t be around either. Therefore, there should be a Tai fruit on Mount Hou, but for some reason, it’s not there.”

“Tai fruit?”

“The tree that bears Kirin is on Mount Hou. As soon as a Kirin dies, a Ranka with the next Kirin starts growing at the same time. If Taiki is dead, he should have a successor—another Taiki if it’s male, or Tairin if it’s female… But there’s still no Tai fruit on Mount Hou. Which means he should still be alive.”

“Do Kirin not have parents?” Youko asked.

“They don’t,” Enki replied. “Taika are a different story, but for the most part, the Kirin don’t have names, just signifiers.”

“So Keiki is just a signifier too?”

Enki nodded. Somehow, this struck Youko as a little sad.

Enki probably saw what she was thinking, because he put on a very deliberate grimace. “The Kirin are pitiable creatures. They live to serve their kings, and they don’t have parents or siblings—not even names. When they choose a king, the king uses them for all they’re worth. When they die, it’s through no fault of their own. And they don’t even get a burial.”

Enki threw a look at his master, but the king of En looked the other way. Enki scowled and sighed.

“They don’t have burials?” Youko asked.

Enki awkwardly averted his gaze as if he had just made a flub.

“They don’t even make graves for the Kirin?”

The king of En answered this with a strained smile. “It’s not as if they don’t have graves. They receive a joint funeral with their king. But they don’t leave a body.”

“Why not?” Youko wondered if it was because they were mystical creatures.

“Lay off,” said Enki.

“There’s nothing to hide,” said the king. He paused, and then resumed. “The Kirin use youma as their servants. They form pacts, basically. A youma that has exchanged an oath with a Kirin is totally subservient to them. In exchange, the youma devours the Kirin when the Kirin dies.”

Youko looked up at the king of En, then at Enki.

Enki shrugged. “That’s the way it goes. Apparently, we Kirin are a gourmand’s dream. But hey, it doesn’t really matter what happens after we’re dead.” For a moment, he was silent. “If you pity the Kirin, you should take good care of Keiki. Don’t let him down.”

Youko could not muster a response to that. Instead, she changed the subject. “Was the king of Kou not afraid of disappointing his Kirin?”

The king of En smiled wryly as if to say, “Beats me.” “I have no clue what’s going on in his head.”

Enki shrugged. “You’re guaranteed to lose the Mandate of Heaven if you meddle with another country. If he went ahead and did it anyway, ‘fool’ doesn’t even begin to describe him. He must have had some kind of reason to risk it.”

“I suppose so,” said Youko.

“People will deliberately stain their hands with sin knowing that it will only hurt themselves. Humans are foolish, even more so when they are in pain.”

Youko felt those words strike her like a bludgeon, but she simply nodded. “How frightening,” was all she said.

“How so?”

“It just is. I feel like this is all totally beyond me.”

The king of En smiled thinly. “The Kirin can never defy their kings, though they can certainly make their displeasure known. Never forget that you are a mere foolish human. As long as you remember that, your other half will come to your aid.”

“My…other half?”

“Your Kirin.”

Youko nodded and then looked at the seat to her right. There was a single sword resting there.

Suiguutou.

The king of En had mentioned that it showed visions across a thousand ri and could even look into the past or the future.

Which made Youko wonder: If she mastered the Suiguutou, would she be able to learn what the king of Kou was thinking?

EVERY KINGDOM HAD TWO ARMIES. ONE WAS THE Provincial Army, controlled by each regional lord. The other was the Royal Army, led directly by the king.

It would take a month for the troops to arrive in Iryuu, the capital of the Sei Province in Kei. Considering that Keiki’s life was at stake, a month didn’t sound reassuring. So the plan changed to assembling an elite squad of a hundred and twenty soldiers who would storm Iryuu on flying horses (indeed, they existed on this side). In order to make the preparations, neither the king of En nor his Kirin came to lunch or dinner.

Lacking anything better to do, Youko left Rakushun to his devices and returned to her room. She put her sword on the table and sat in front of it.

She was the sword’s master. Although she understood the logic, she still had her qualms about the idea that she was a queen. She expected that using the sword would be tricky, but the fact that she was hesitant about her role in all of this was an extra reason to give it a shot.

She did not know how to draw out the visions consciously, though she suspected that it would not be difficult. Before she came to this side, Youko had experienced a long sequence of dreams involving the sound of water. When she mentioned this to the king of En, he told her that it was almost certainly a vision from the sword. In all likelihood, the sword gave her—its master—a premonition of the enemy attack.

However, Youko had not yet met Keiki or exchanged an oath with him at the time. Did the sword still acknowledge her as its master even then? Which came first, the Mandate of Heaven or the Kirin’s decision? Had she been born with the Mandate, or did she end up with the throne because Keiki chose her?

When she posed this question to the king of En, it was Enki himself who said that he did not know. “I’ve got no clue why I chose this guy. I just had a feeling it was him.”

Enki said that the Kirin chose their lieges on instinct. Either way, Youko figured that it would not be too difficult to channel her will through the sword.

Youko turned off the lights, pulled out the sword from its sheath, and stared at the blade.

Show me the king of Kou.

Although the sword had exclusively shown her visions from her former country, she suspected that this was simply because of her desire to return home.

I want to know the king of Kou’s true intentions.

She wanted to learn about a foolish king—because she had not yet made up her mind.

The blade began to glow faintly. Dim silhouettes appeared within the light, and Youko heard the sound of dripping water. She stared intently at the silhouettes, waiting for them to take shape.

A white wall came into view. Through the glass window, she could see a garden. She recognized it—it was the one from her house.

No. This isn’t it, she told herself forcefully, and the vision disappeared. The sword lost its shine, which told her that she had failed.

“It can’t possibly be one-use only,” she said aloud to herself.

She looked at the blade once more. It had been many nights since she had last seen a vision, but her thoughts were enough to prompt the blade to shine a second time.

Unfortunately, the next thing she saw was her garden again. She could not help but feel slightly disappointed. Making sure to stay focused on the vision, she willed the scenery to change. The image wavered like ripples in water.

The next thing Youko saw was her room.

Wrong.

Next was her school.

Wrong.

Every attempt only showed her the world on the other side: her house, the school, and even her friends’ houses. The sword revealed nothing of this side.

It was just like the scabbard, Youko thought. The sword was as difficult to control as that blue monkey.

At the same time, she knew that it was a reflection of her enduring attachment to her former country. This knowledge steeled her resolve—if the problem was with her, then she could not give up.

She kept at it patiently until she finally spied a vision of a town on this side.

Before she could relish her accomplishment, however, she saw that at the gates of this town, scores of people were collapsed on the ground.

The road leading up to the gates was steeped in blood. Amid the fallen people and their anguished cries of pain stood a boy with a dark glint in his eyes.

No, it was no boy—it was Youko herself.

“Stop!”

Youko hurriedly cut off the vision.

The town was Goryou. Back when Youko abandoned Rakushun.

Even though she knew it was her, Youko was aghast at the very sight. Had her expression really been that grim?

Youko flung the sword away—and then a self-deprecating smile curled at her lips. She had acted as if she was afraid of the sword itself.

Isn’t that the real you? the blue monkey would have said if it were still alive.

It was the undeniable truth. Youko had no right to avert her gaze. In fact, she was compelled to look at it head-on. Looking away from her blemishes would be the most foolish thing of all.

Her hand tightened its grip around the hilt once more. Once her breathing leveled out, she fixed her eyes on the blade. It immediately showed her the gates of Goryou as if it were right there before her eyes.

In the vision, Youko truly did possess dark eyes. She could tell at a glance that this version of herself was wild with desperation. And she was looking at Rakushun with that stormy gaze.

That’s when I wondered whether I should go back and finish him off…

When people started dashing out of Goryou, the Youko in the vision fled in a panic. As she ran off, her visage from behind seemed to waver—and then she appeared again, this time on the mountain road. Youko stared at herself as she turned her back on the kindly mother and daughter.

She saw a vision with Takki and one with the old Kaikyaku man. Youko even saw the weeping families of the men who lost their lives in their attempt to escort Youko to the governor’s office. She listened attentively to their cries of resentment. “Curse that Kaikyaku! This is her fault!”

The sword showed her what Kasai looked like after the youma attacked—it was in a terrible state. Youko saw dead bodies laid out in rows in Goryou’s plaza. She saw refugees from the Kingdom of Kei huddling underneath the walls of some unspecific town.

Youko watched the visions play out. She could tell that if she rejected them, they would only spiral out of control. She simply watched them and accepted them. Over time, the visions inched toward what Youko wanted to see.

A palace. There was an emaciated woman there.

“I need no women in Gyouten,” she declared.

“Please reconsider.”

Youko figured that the man trying to object was Keiki, and the woman was the late Prophet Queen.

“Those who disobey a royal decree are criminals. What need is there for hesitation when dealing with criminals?” said the Prophet Queen.

Only her eyes held any vigor. Her skin had the pallor of a corpse, and her jaw jutted through her gaunt cheeks. Her ill health was evident from her thin, frail body. One could only imagine that she was in terrible pain. So grueling was her misery that it must have compelled her to lash out with iniquity, even knowing all the while how foolish it was.

Youko saw the devastation in the Kingdom of Kei. Kou was a poor nation too, but Kei’s destitution looked significantly worse. Youko saw hamlets overrun by youma and huts ablaze with the flames of civil war. Locusts and rats lay waste to the fields, which were flooded with water from overrun rivers. Here and there, dead human bodies floated to the surface.

Can a country suffer such misfortune merely from the loss of its ruler?

Only now did the oft-repeated phrase “the kingdom will fall into ruin” truly sink in for Youko. After her experience growing up in her former country, the words felt so distant to her. Now, she understood exactly what those words were meant to describe.

The next thing she saw was a road nestled in a mountain somewhere.

TWO PEOPLE STOOD ON THE ROAD. ONE WORE THE dark garb of a shinigami, while the other had blonde hair. Youko saw a pack of beasts surrounding them.

“I beg for your forgiveness,” said the blonde one as she covered her face.

It was the very same woman Youko had encountered on the mountain road.

My guess was right. That’s Kourin…

“Of course you would say that to me.”

The shinigami-like figure lowered the hood covering his head, revealing the face of a wizened old man. Although deep wrinkles aged his face, he had a large frame, which made it hard to describe him as “elderly.” A bright-colored parrot was perched on his shoulder.

“The girl is powerless. Although it vexes me that she remains unslain, I doubt she will live long in these mountains,” said the man flatly before briefly falling silent. “Still, I had not anticipated that she had already exchanged the oath.”

The man spoke without a single shred of emotion.

“Well, it matters not,” he continued. “She will soon die a dog’s death in these mountains or else be captured in a hamlet. Either way…Taiho?”

“Yes?”

“Let’s avoid a repeat performance. Next time, finish off the girl for my sake.”

The “girl” was probably Youko. Which meant that this man…

He’s the king of Kou…

“But I must say, she seemed weakhearted. I doubt she would have made much of a ruler. He went all the way to Hourai, and that was all he could find?” said the man as he turned his expressionless face toward one of the beasts behind him.

Superficially, it resembled a deer, though it had a horn on its forehead. If pressed, one could perhaps call it a unicorn. Its mane was a rich gold, while its fur was a milder shade. Much like a deer, a pattern dappled its back—from it, Youko saw a faint, mysterious glow.

“It would seem you have poor luck with your masters, hm, Kei-Taiho?”

Kei-Taiho… So that’s Keiki…

So this was a Kirin. Youko was fascinated by the creature.

The scene took place in the mountains she passed through when she was being escorted from Hairou. From this, she deduced that the figure she mistook for Keiki back then was actually Kourin. Meanwhile, Jyouyuu had seen Keiki in his beast form and called out to him.

“If you think so little of her strength, then would it not be more prudent to simply leave her be?” This time, it was Kourin who spoke. “Two citizens of Kou have perished. I beg of you, please stop this.”

Her tearful expression as she looked up at her king was exactly the same as what Youko saw on the mountain path.

“All humans die eventually.” The answer her master gave was cold and empty.

“The heavens will not forgive this. I am certain that Kou will suffer retribution. The Lord Above brooks no exceptions,” Kourin warned.

“We have already received nothing but retribution. What use is there in prattling on about it now? My fate has run its course. Kou will fall, so why not drag Kei along with it? The queen of Kei will suffer our same fate—mark my words.”

“Does your resentment for Taika run so deep?”

The king of Kou smiled thinly. “I do not resent them, but I do despise them. Did you know that the children on the other side are born out of a woman’s stomach?”

“I am aware. What does that have to do with this?”

“Do you not think it filthy?” the king prodded.

“I do not.”

“Well, I do. As soon as they’re born out of a woman’s belly, a Taika no longer belongs to this side. They have no place here.”

“The heavens do not agree with you,” Kourin said. “Is that not why there is a Taika king? The circumstances of one’s birth are far less filthy than turning one’s back on the will of the heavens.”

The king of Kou cast a furtive smile. “It would seem that you and I do not see eye to eye.”

“It would appear not.”

“But remember—I am your master. You follow my orders. Pursue the girl and put her out of her misery. She must not be allowed to escape Kou alive,” the king demanded. “Ah, that reminds me, I should deploy the army at the Kei border. I am sure she will try to worm her way back there.”

“If she is such a filthy little girl, then why not leave her alone? If she lacks merit as you claim, then why are you so intent on separating her from her throne? You’ll really go so far as to stain your hands with murder?”

“Kou has no need for a neighbor with a Taika as its ruler,” the king said curtly.

Kourin let out a deep sigh. After a long pause, she said, “And what do you intend to do with Kei-Taiho?”

“I’ll give Keiki to Jyoei. If she has the Kirin, the lords will cease their dissent.”

“Perhaps they may be fooled for now, but their suspicions will grow before long. With his horn sealed, Kei-Taiho cannot assume human form, nor can he speak. No Saiho would act as such. You must cease this. The heavens will not overlook a misdeed of this gravity.”

“I am not asking for their forgiveness,” the king declared.

“As much as I respect your resolve, you are forgetting your responsibility to your people.”

“The people of Kou were unlucky. Perhaps when I die, a wise ruler will take my place. If you take the long view, this is the best outcome for the people.”

Kourin covered her face again. “What are you even saying?”

“I never possessed the qualities of a king,” the king of Kou remarked plainly. Judging from his unaffected tone, it sounded as if he had given up on absolutely everything. “You and the heavens chose unwisely.”

“You speak falsehoods.”

“I speak the truth. I’ve sat upon the throne for a mere fifty years. En’s king has ruled for five hundred years, and Sou’s is close to six hundred. My reign is but a blink of an eye compared to theirs, but I am already at my limit.”

“It is not too late to turn over a new leaf. You can rule for longer.”

“It is too late, Taiho.”

Kourin’s face fell.

“I was ill-suited for a role of this import. I was never meant to rise higher than the ranks of a rural guardsman. Through sheer happenstance, I was blessed with exorbitant luck, yet I lacked the mettle to accomplish anything through my own merits. Fifty years was all I had in me.”

“You speak too lowly of yourself. There are many monarchs with short reigns.”

“Indeed. Like the Prophet Queen. Even without her blight of a presence, Kei has had no shortage of civil strife. The nation is significantly poorer than Kou. The brazen among Kou’s people speak of how misfortunate their country is compared to En and Sou, but the wise citizens speak of how blessed they are compared to Kei’s people.”

“En and Sou were not so prosperous at the beginning,” Kourin said.

“I am well aware of that. I did everything I could, thinking I could replicate their examples. Yet for every step I crawled, En and Sou bounded ever further beyond my reach. Everyone says that Kou pales in comparison to En and Sou, now and forever. Simply put, I am incapable of replicating their accomplishments.”

“That cannot possibly be—”

“Do not delude yourself into believing that I can compete with them now. Kei, however, is a different matter. Kei is even less fortunate than Kou. What will become of Kou if a new ruler ascends to Kei’s throne and makes it prosper to greater heights? If Kou were to stay poor, then its reputation for destitution will fall squarely upon my shoulders.”

“You would risk the Mandate of Heaven for that?”

The king did not answer Kourin’s question. “Wa is a prosperous nation—you need only ask a Kaikyaku to know that. The king of En returned here from Wa. His nation, too, is prosperous. The Taika are not like those of us who were born on this side. If a Taika can bring such fortune to his land, then how can I not fear the new queen of Kei? If the Taika are privy to some secret art of ruling a nation, then where does that leave me?”

“How can you speak of such foolishness?”

A slight grimace crossed the king’s face. “You are right, of course. It is foolish of me. Yet I cannot back down now. Abandoning my path will do nothing to change Kou’s fate. It is inevitable that Kou will fall and I will die—so I will drag Kei’s Taika down with me.”

That’s his reason?

“What an idiot!” Youko exclaimed, momentarily forgetting herself.

The vision instantly flickered away. Listlessly, Youko put down the sword.

“How could he be such a fool?”

She knew the answer. He did not want to be left behind, but instead of trying to keep apace, he decided that it was easier to drag others down. It was an all-too-common occurrence, the sort of thing one witnessed in every walk of life. But still…

“Even if he couldn’t address the people’s suffering as their ruler, why would he commit such an unthinkable crime for such a petty reason?”

How many people had already perished through no fault of their own? That number would be a drop in the bucket if the country were to fall because of its king’s actions.

She recalled Enki’s words: “Humans are foolish, even more so when they are in pain.”

Wedged between En and Sou, the king of Kou compared himself endlessly to the rulers of En and Kei. Although he downplayed the length of his reign, those fifty years must have passed at an agonizing crawl.

His path was not so different from what Youko might have taken. Kei was in a difficult place as well. Could she really say that she would never compare her own kingdom to En and Sou?

“I’m scared,” Youko muttered. “I’m really scared…”

YOUKO GULPED IN A BREATH OF NIGHT AIR AND stepped out onto the terrace. There was already someone standing there, gazing at the Sea of Clouds.

“Rakushun.”

Upon hearing Youko’s voice, the rat looked over his shoulder at her. His tail twitched up.

“Can’t sleep again?” she asked.

“Was thinkin’ about stuff.”

“Like what?”

Rakushun gave a big nod. “Like how to change your mind.”

Youko smiled sheepishly. She stood next to Rakushun just like she did the night before, peering over the handrail and into the sea below. “Can I ask you one thing?”

“What is it?”

“Why do you want me to be the ruler?”

“It’s not about what I want. You are the ruler. You were chosen by the Kirin, Youko. But you’re tryin’ to reject the throne. I just want’cha to think twice about that. When a ruler abandons their country, bad things happen to both the people and the ruler.”

“Worse things could happen if I become queen.”

“I doubt it.”

“Why?”

“’Cause I think you’ve got what it takes.”

“I…don’t.”

“You do,” Rakushun said crisply before letting out a sigh. “I don’t get why you’re being so spineless all of a sudden.”

“Because it’s not just about me.” Youko simply gazed down at the rolling waves. “When my life was the only thing at stake, I felt like I could try anything. Because I wasn’t responsible for anyone but myself. My death was the worst thing that could happen. But this is totally different.”

“The people of Kei can’t wait to go home, y’know.”

“I know. They want a peaceful, prosperous country. I just don’t think I can give it to them.”

“The king of En said that anyone chosen by a Kirin has the qualities of a wise ruler.”

“If that’s the case, why is Kei in chaos? Why is Kou going through such a terrible time? Even if I do have the qualities, making use of them is easier said than done.”

“I think you’ll be fine, Youko.”

“You’ve got nothing to base that confidence on.”

Rakushun hung his head with a little strangled groan.

“I’m not being spineless,” Youko went on. “I think it’s fair to call someone spineless when they’re doubting themselves without a reason, but I do have a reason. I learned a lot of things when I came to this side. And the biggest thing, to put it bluntly, is that I’m an idiot.”

“Youko…”

“I’m not just being humble here. I’m saying it like it is. I was a total idiot. And it was only when I realized that about myself that I started trying to look for a less stupid version of myself. I’m starting from scratch, Rakushun. I can only hope that if I start putting the effort in now, I can become a slightly better person. I think I would have aspired to be a ruler if the Kirin chooses a candidate only after they’ve proven their fortitude. But I haven’t done anything to deserve it yet. That’s way, way off in the future, when I’m a bit less foolish.”

“I see,” Rakushun muttered, letting go of the handrail. He started pacing around the platform—there was plenty of room for him to do so. “You’re afraid, Youko.”

“Yeah.”

“You’re cowering at the weight of the responsibility.”

Youko hesitated, then repeated, “Yeah.”

“Go and take Keiki back as quick as you can, Youko.”

When Youko glanced over her shoulder at Rakushun, he was standing right in her shadow.

“You’re not gonna be all by yourself,” he said. “What do you think the Kirin are there for? Why do you think the heavens didn’t make the Kirin into kings? You say that you’re cruddy. Dirty. I guess nobody knows better than you. But if a Kirin chose you, it means they need you,warts and all.”

“That doesn’t sound right.”

“It’s a matter of plain old addition. If you’re not enough by yourself, and a Kirin ain’t enough by itself, then you gotta combine ’em and make them work together. Kirin are half-beasts too, in a sense. If you’re half a beast and the Kirin is half a beast, then put the two together and you’ve got a perfect whole. I reckon it’s the same for the king of En and Enki.”

Youko simply looked at her feet.

“There are some people out there who’d jump for joy at the idea of being ruler. The fact that you think of the needs of the people, even if it makes you hesitate with fear, is what makes you worthy of the throne.”

“That’s not true at all,” Youko insisted.

“Believe in Keiki.”

“But—”

“And believe in yourself some more. If you’re gonna be ripe old queen material in five years, then why not become the queen now? Why hesitate?”

“Well…”

“Keiki already made his decision. As far as he’s concerned, there’s no one more suited to be the ruler of Kei than you. The will of the heavens and the will of the people are one and the same. Nobody is more capable of bringing fortune to the people of Kei than you are, Youko. You oughta buck up a tad. The people of Kei belong to you, and you belong to Kei. Same difference.”

“But—”

“If you wanna be a better person, go and take the throne and be a good queen. Being a good queen makes you a good person by extension. Sure, it’s a lot of responsibility being a ruler, but what’s the problem with that? Become a good person worthy of shouldering that responsibility,” Rakushun said.

“And what if I can’t be that person?”

“As long as you want to be that person, you’ll get there eventually. Let the Kirin and the people be your teachers. And then with so many teachers around, there’s no way you’ll stay an idiot forever.”

For a long moment, Youko stayed silent as she gazed at the sea. “If I become the ruler, I’ll never be able to go back home,” she said finally.

“Do you wanna go back?”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

Youko nodded. “To be honest with you, I don’t think the other side was that great for me. And this side isn’t as bad as it seemed before.”

“Mm-hmm.”

“But ever since I came here, the thought of going back home was the one thing that kept me going.”

“I…get that,” Rakushun said hesitantly.

“My parents are over there. I had a home. Friends. I wouldn’t be able to tell you whether they’re good parents and friends, but their problems weren’t entirely their fault. I was a sorry excuse for a person, so I never made good relationships either. But if I do go back now, I think I’d be able to do it all properly this time. I would redo everything from scratch and find a place for myself in the world where I was born. I just feel really frustrated at how stupid I was. I want to start over on the other side.”

A teardrop fell onto her clenched hand.

“Even if I can’t redo things, even if there is no place left for me in that world, I do miss it,” she continued. “I never had the chance to say goodbye. I don’t think it would have been this hard if I had the time to prepare myself mentally and say my farewells. Instead, it was so sudden. I lost everything in the blink of an eye.”

“Right,” Rakushun said softly.

“And even if that weren’t the case, the only reason I tried so hard was because I swore to myself that I would get home. Letting go of that is…really tough…”

“Yeah.”

“I know I’ll regret it if I go back at this point, but I’ll also regret it if I never go back. Whichever way I choose, I’m going to miss the other side. I want to have it both ways, but I can only pick one.”

Something warm touched her cheek, wiping away the tears clinging to her face.

“Rakushun,” Youko said weakly.

“Don’t turn around. I’m in a bit of a compromised state right now.”

She laughed—and at the same time, she cried.

“Don’t laugh,” said Rakushun. “I did what I had to. My hand couldn’t reach you in rat form.”

“Mm.”

“Listen, Youko. When you’re stumped between two choices, you should pick the thing that seems like the right thing to do. Times like these, you’ll have regrets either way. Best thing to do is cut your losses, eh?”

“Yeah.”

“If you pick the thing you should be doing, then at least you won’t regret that you didn’t do what you could.”

“Yeah…”

Rakushun’s human palm felt ever so warm as it tapped her cheek.

“I’m lookin’ forward to seeing what sorta country you’ll make.”

“Yeah,” Youko said, her voice as quiet as a whisper. “Thank you…”

ON THE DAY OF THE ASSAULT ON IRYUU, YOUKO borrowed a Kitsuryou for her mount. It was a horselike creature with white stripes, a red mane, and beautiful golden eyes. Jyouyuu provided the horse-riding knowledge.

“You can just stay in Kankyuu,” the king of En told her, though she could not agree.

There were six thousand soldiers defending Iryuu. Even one was too many. It was unthinkable of her to hide when Keiki’s life—and, by extension, the entire Kingdom of Kei—was at stake.

The king of En and his Kirin had ruled their country for five hundred long years. It took a frightful amount of courage for Youko to face them and say the words, “I’ll give it a try.” She knew far from everything about this world. Its intricacies and politics were lost on her. She was far from queen material—of that, she was well aware.

In that case, there was nothing else for it. She would throw caution to the wind and just try. She could fight. And since a battle awaited her, then fight she would. All she could really do was focus on one step at a time, and so she blanched at the idea of staying on the sidelines.

There was another person who objected to hiding in Genei Palace—Rakushun. Although Youko strenuously insisted that he stay in Kankyuu, he refused point-blank. Enki said that in that case, he might as well help out. Given the Kirin’s aversion to bloodshed, Enki did not escort Youko to the battlefield, but he and Rakushun did go around to the provinces in Kei that were stuck under the false queen’s thumb. Their role was to convince the provincial lords against fighting.

A hundred and twenty beasts dashed across the Sea of Clouds. The false queen’s army was twenty thousand strong. Five thousand of those soldiers were mobilized in the Sei Province. The king of En said there was no reason to engage the army with his hundred and twenty cavalrymen.

“You’re only after Keiki. I can buy you enough time for you to get him out. Even better if you can get the people in the false queen’s army to question the validity of the ruler they’re fighting so zealously to protect. You can turn the tables entirely if you can get just three of the provincial lords to see reason.”

Taking Keiki back was only the first step.

“Is there any chance of winning with one hundred and twenty people?” asked Youko.

The king of En smiled at this. “Even without my most elite soldiers, the ones I’ve gathered here are more than up to snuff. It does not take much to defend the Sea of Clouds—not many people can even venture above the skies. Your enemies are still unaware that you are with me, so I deliberately went out to meet you by myself. It kept up the deception.”

This explained why the king had come to meet her at Youshou alone.

“That said, I was interested in what kind of person you are. In any case, I doubt that Jyoei will expect En to get involved. Nor would she dream that you’d approach from the Sea of Clouds, even with only one hundred and twenty soldiers.” He paused, and then said, “The rest is up to you, Queen of Kei.”

“Me?”

“Things will go smoother for you if you can awe the false queen’s subjects. No citizen would fight for a phony, after all. When they learn beyond a shadow of doubt that you’re the true queen, the soldiers will hand Keiki to you.”

Easier said than done, Youko thought with a sigh.

“Don’t second-guess yourself. You are the queen—don’t forget that. You might be a glorified servant of the heavens, but you can’t let the people boss you around. Act as if you own the place.”

“How am I supposed to put on that kind of facade?” Youko sighed again. “Maybe if I had confidence in myself, but I don’t.”

“Pshh.” The king laughed. “You were chosen by a Kirin, so let him answer to your complaints. That’s what I say.”

Youko threw the king a slightly exasperated look. “Spoken like a wise king.”

“Is that sarcasm I detect? It’s true, though. At least that’s how I’ve done things. Got a problem? Tell it to Enki. And if he’s still not happy, I say, ‘Let’s see you try.’”

“I see,” Youko said wryly. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

The first time Youko saw the Kingdom of Kei in person, it was even more ravaged than what the sword showed her. The wastelands were plain to see even through the translucent waters of the Sea of Clouds. Rice was meant to be planted at this time of year, yet many fields were visibly abandoned. The roads around the huts and hamlets were almost deathly still—there was not a soul in sight. In some places, only the charred black remains of settlements that had literally burned to the ground remained.

She had thought of Kou as a poor nation, but it was a paradise next to Kei. Her heart ached when she saw the refugees huddling together underneath the town walls. They all wanted a home to return to. She understood deep in her core how terrible it was to lack a roof over one’s head.

For half a day, she watched the people from above as she flew across the Sea of Clouds. At length, she and the hundred and twenty soldiers arrived at Iryuu in the Sei Province. Much like Kankyuu, Iryuu sat atop a tall mountain, the peak of which jutted through the Sea of Clouds. The building on the summit was the provincial lord’s palace—Keiki had to be somewhere inside.

In the distance, she saw dark silhouettes taking flight from the palace like birds. It was a group of sky soldiers, sworn to protect the palace from aerial threats.

Fighting this time meant killing human beings. Swinging her sword at a human was the one line she had yet to cross, but that was because she lacked the courage to shoulder the guilt of murder.

When she declared that she would accompany the soldiers, she steeled her resolve. She would not treat human life lightly in the name of a great cause. She would never forget the people she cut with her sword or the number of her victims—they would be carved indelibly into her soul. That was the least she could do. This thought was what allowed her to accept the task.

“You okay?” asked the king of En.

Youko nodded.

“Keep your focus, Queen of Kei. It would be awful if you perished here after you found your resolve.”

“I’m not so easy to kill,” Youko said. “I’m kind of a sore loser.”

The king looked bemused by Youko’s answer. Then his eyes lit up in amusement.

Turning to face the soldiers headed her way, Youko drew her sword. The Kitsuryou kicked off into the sky without hesitation. As soldiers swarmed out of the palace and into the air, Youko charged ahead.

DEEP INSIDE THE PALACE, IN A ROOM INSULATED by a thick enclosure, a single beast lay captive.

“A Kirin…”

Was this a Kirin? It looked like a unicorn with rich yellow fur. Its slender limbs, typical of a deer, were wrapped in iron chains. It looked at Youko with soulful eyes. When she came closer, it rubbed her arm with its slightly round nose.

“Keiki…?” she said.

The Kirin looked squarely up at her. It bent its knees and lowered itself at her feet.

When she crouched down and reached her hand out toward the Kirin, it did not run away. She stroked its golden mane, and its eyes flickered shut.

This is my other half.

This creature had propelled Youko into her destiny, a destiny which existed only in legend on the other side.

“I have been searching for you,” Youko said.

The Kirin drew its jaw toward Youko’s knee, brushing against her numerous times as if attempting to bow.

When she stroked its mane once more, she heard a hard clink at her feet. The chains restraining the beast brushed against the ground.

“Wait a moment. I’ll release you.” Youko stood up and swung her sword down onto the chains, slicing right through them.

The Kirin got to its feet with an alacrity that belied its weight. Then it rubbed its head—or more precisely, its horn—against Youko’s arm over and over again.

“What’s the matter?” Youko peered at the horn, which was how she noticed that there was a peculiar pattern on it. Kanji characters about as long as the palm of her hand were written with a dark red ink—a shade all too similar to dried blood. “Is this what’s bothering you?”

The Kirin simply rubbed its horn against her. The impatience in this gesture struck Youko as unusual. Rakushun, a half-beast, could speak. In this land, even the ayakashi were capable of conversing, so why was such a lofty, divine beast mute?

This reminded Youko of something mentioned in her sword’s vision: The Kirin’s horn was sealed, which meant that it could not take human form or speak.

When she gave the Kirin’s horn a light rub, it obediently sat still. The ink smudged a bit as she rubbed it forcefully with her sleeve, but nothing else changed. Anxiously, she scrutinized the writing and found that the intricate letters were carved directly into the horn.

Suspecting that harming the Kirin would do her no good, Youko fished out the jewel from her pocket. When she wiped the horn while pressing the jewel against it, the letters visibly became shallower. She repeated the process many times over, and when at last the letters became vanishingly thin, a voice suddenly spoke within her arms.

“I thank you.” It was a voice all too familiar to her ears.

“Keiki?”

The Kirin’s eyes crinkled ever so slightly as he gazed up at Youko. “Indeed. I apologize for the trouble.”

Youko could only smile at that crisp, forthright way of speaking. Hearing it now was so very nostalgic.

“Are you alone?” asked the Kirin.

“The king of En gave me his support. His army is stalling the false queen’s army outside.”

“I see.” The Kirin nodded before assuming a commanding tone. “Hyouki, Jyuusaku.”

Two beasts appeared, as if sliding through the wall. “Your orders?”

“Assist the king of En.”

The two beasts bowed deeply and disappeared.

“Ah, so they’re okay.”

“But of course,” the Kirin said, nodding at her. He really didn’t mince words—Youko found it so amusing.

“Did your Shirei get sealed along with your horn?”

The Kirin gave a disgruntled little moan. “You seem to have learned much since we last met,” he said. After a pause, he continued, “But yes. I apologize for causing you that trouble.”

“Jyouyuu didn’t get sealed, so I suppose it didn’t have any effect on me. What about Kaiko and Hankyo?”

“They are with me. Shall I call for them?”

“No. I just wanted to know if they’re okay. We can have a nice, proper reunion later.”

“Very well.”

“Oh, right. I have something I need to ask you,” Youko said.

“By all means.”

“I want you to undo your command on Jyouyuu, although I will still need him with me.”

The Kirin peered at Youko and then blinked. Twice, then thrice. “You have changed,” he said.

“Yeah. I need to thank you, Keiki. For giving me a Hinman. Jyouyuu really saved my life. I want to thank him, and there are things I want to ask him as well.”

“You wish to ask him questions?”

“Yeah. Like how his name is written.”

The beast’s eyes widened. “What a strange thing to say.”

“Is it? But I never got to ask him this whole time. I was curious.”

As soon as those words left her mouth, Youko felt a sudden jolt dart down her hand. Her fingers moved of their own accord, tracing two characters in the air: “superfluous” and “help.”

Youko smiled lightly. “Thank you, Jyouyuu.”

“The Shirei serve the Kirin, and so they serve the king or queen by extension. There is no need to thank me.”

Youko simply smiled at that.

The Kirin’s eyes narrowed as it gazed at Youko. “You have gained some eccentricities.”

“Yep. I learned a lot.”

“To be perfectly frank with you, I did not imagine I would lay eyes upon you again.”

Youko nodded. “Same here.” She paused, then said, “You still can’t take human form?”

“I’m afraid not, for I would be naked.”

Youko chuckled, amused at the glumness in his tone. “All right, then let’s go back and get you something to wear. Although we’ll have to stay at Genei Palace for a while until we can return to Kinpa Palace.”

Youko smiled, prompting the Kirin to blink once more. Then he lowered himself to the ground. With every movement he made, an ethereal light shone on his back.

“I welcome my master, bearer of the Mandate of Heaven.” With his head still drooped, he pressed his horn against Youko’s leg. “I will never leave your side, nor shall I disobey your orders. I swear to you an oath of fealty.”

Youko paused, long enough to give him a light smile, and said, “I allow it.”

This was the beginning of Youko’s story.

In the spring of the sixth year of the Yosei era, the Saiho Keiki fell grievously ill from Shitsudou. Fires and plagues endlessly ravaged Gyouten. The administration lost its integrity, and bribes and false charges grew rampant. Aggrieved by the suffering of the people, the heavens were poised to smite Kei.

In the early days of the fifth month, the queen ascended Mount Hou, where she was granted forgiveness by the heavens and permitted to abdicate the throne. There, her life expired, and she was buried in Senryou. Following her six-year reign, she was posthumously given the name of Prophet Queen.

Following the passing of the Prophet Queen, Jyoei took Gyouten, falsely calling herself the queen of Kei. The kingdom fell into great disarray.

In the seventh month of the seventh year, Youko, the true queen of Kei, emerged on the stage. Born a Taika, Queen Youko’s surname was Nakajima, and her courtesy name was Sekishi, meaning “red child.” In the first month of the seventh year, she returned from Hourai, and at the end of the seventh month, she liberated Kei from its crisis. With the aid of Naotaka, the king of En, she deposed the false queen Jyoei.

In the eighth month, she received the Mandate of Heaven at Mount Hou. She attained divinity and the title of queen. Succeeding the Prophet Queen in Gyouten, she appointed new lords for the Six Ministries and righted the administration.

Thus began the new era of Sekiraku under the reign of the Red Queen.

From The Chronicles of Kei, the Red Book

About the Creators

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Fuyumi Ono is a renowned Japanese novelist known best for her epic fantasy series, The Twelve Kingdoms. Additionally, Ono is known for her work in the horror and mystery genres. In 1988, she attended Otani University in Kyoto, Japan where she honed her craft creating horror and mystery stories as a member of the Mystery Novel Study Group. Her book Tokyo Ibun garnered critical acclaim in 1993 after becoming a finalist for the Japan Fantasy Novel Award, attracting the attention of the literary community. In 2013, she received the Shugoro Yamamoto Award for her novel Zanmei. Ono continues to craft compelling series alongside her husband Yukito Ayatsuji, the acclaimed author of the popular mystery novel The Decagon House Murders.

ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR

Akihiro Yamada is an acclaimed illustrator and manga artist with forty years of experience turning imagination into brushstrokes. The moment Yamada dropped out of Osaka University of Economics to pursue his true passion of painting, his career took flight. Having quickly caught the publishing industry’s attention, Yamada was invited to illustrate Ryo Mizuno’s Record of Lodoss War and Fuyumi Ono’s The Twelve Kingdoms. Thanks to his unique style combining the looks of historical Chinese and European art, he won the Seiun Award in 1996. Yamada continues to paint by hand today in his illustrations for the newest editions of The Twelve Kingdoms, the mobile game, Fire Emblem Heroes, and his personal art book, The World of Akihiro Yamada.