36. Strategy Games
「Chie」
"This isn't good." I say, back pressed to Haruki's front.
"You think?!" she says against my ear.
We're surrounded on all sides by several C-class demons, Mayumi and Katsumi are down, and Hotaru is gravely wounded. Sweat covers my palms. My mana is nearly gone. Just enough for a well placed shot.
"Come on, baby," Haruki mutters in my ear, arms tightening around me. "Use that brain of yours. Get us out of this…"
My eyes dart around the battlefield. There has to be something—anything—that I can use. My breath comes in sharp and quick. Fuck, it's all up to me isn't it? I…
Oh.
There!
This is a factory, and it's filled with flammable materials. A comedically excessive amount, actually. Have the owners heard of fire safety???
I banish the thought. Focus.
Mana weapons won't set off any fires, so I can't just shoot a barrel or something, but…
With my last shot, I shoot the light above a conspicuous pool of oil. True to my idea, the sparks raining down send the oil up in flames. The conflagration rushes over a nearby barrel like a wave, and the thing catches fire for a few seconds before exploding in a violent burst. It causes a chain reaction throughout the factory, the sounds of explosions echo through the space. Debris and demonic gore go everywhere in a near-comedic display of chaos.
Out of five demons, only two remain standing.
I tilt my head back, smiling up at Haruki. "You're up."
She grins down at me from where she sits on the couch, handsome and beautiful as ever. While I sit on the floor between her legs. I'm surrounded in the sheer comforting bulk of her and... Oh… I'm warm. So warm and… happy.
"Good thinking, darling, now end your turn and hand it over."
I pass the controller to her.
She leans forward, pressing herself against me. Her gaze locked on the TV, where our game of Demon Hunter 6 is ongoing. Bombastic combat music blares from the speakers, making Haruki bob her chin and mutter long with the music. The sight is so cute I can't help myself but stretch up and plant a kiss on her jaw.
"Hey! No distracting me!"
"Its turn-based," I remark. "We can't mess up."
"Sure we can, if you make me use my action on something dumb."
"I have complete faith in you."
"Appreciate it. Now…" She uses her turn to do her signature move: heavy sword attack. Simple, but effective. The nearest demon is cleaved in half in one blow. One left.
It's Hotaru's turn. Her, Mayumi, and Katsumi are represented by custom NPCs on our team and we take turns making their actions.
"She should heal Mayumi," I direct. "Her mana was still high when she went down."
My character is kneeling in exhaustion. Out of mana after my last shot.
"Not Katsumi? We can use her speed."
"No, her mana is too low. Plus, Mayumi is up in the turn order. Katsu-chan has to wait for the demon to make it's move, and it could drop her easy again." Her character is the newest—created right after she joined the team—so her character's level is far below the rest.
"Right." Haruki uses a healing spell on Mayumi. "Too bad the game can't account for her recharge ability."
"I mean… I'm sure there's a mod…"
Haruki hisses.
"What?"
"We can't do the challenges if we have mods!"
"Oh… forgot."
"Yep." She moves Mayumi into position and fires off a leg-targeting attack. The demon's speed is reduced by half.
"Nice."
The last demon takes it's turn.
"How do you think we can use Katsumi's ability?" I ask. "I've been wracking my mind over it, but aside from making her faster through mana-assisted-movement I'm not sure."
Haruki hums and takes a drink from her water on the side table next to the couch. My new pretty lamp is sitting on it, looking quite lovely. So glad I got that thing.
"If she had an interest in ranged attacks I'd say we give her a machine gun and let her go to town."
I scoff immediately. "Her reserves aren't deep enough for that. They just recharge quick."
"Bow, then?"
"Complicated to learn. Mayumi was already skilled in archery. Katsumi doesn't seem to have the patience."
"You don't seem to have much faith in her." She kills the last demon, and combat ends. The other team members are healed, hearts and loot collected, and she leaves the area, returning to the hub area to sell off the spoils.
"I do, she's just a wildcard, hard to plan for," I say. "Oh, be sure to buy the Scarlet Armor for Mayumi. Its got the ranged attack stat boost."
"Yep."
I continue my previous thought. "What about a pistol then?"
She raises an eyebrow at me, and the effect makes my breath catch.
I wish I could do that.
"Isn't that even harder to learn?" she dryly remarks.
"I'd teach her. And no, there's very little recoil or weight to it so it's much easier. Nothing like a real gun at all."
"Huh."
Haruki goes quiet, a slight furrow to her brow that matches her displeased frown. Unease is a fist around my heart, restricting my breathing as it always does.
"What is it?" I softly ask.
"I'm worried about her. She's been off recently."
She speaks quietly.
"She seemed okay last night."
Last nights hunt had her focused. I didn't notice anything off about her at all. Then again, that may be because she wasn't as talkative, but she didn't seem unhappy.
"That's because that sniper made out with her for some reason. I can't believe that woman. Stealing our kill, then having the audacity to kiss Katsumi? The nerve!"
"She didn't seem too upset."
I wouldn't be either. A woman like that…
Though Mayumi and Hotaru looked about ready to commit murder once Katsumi explained that she had no idea who that woman was. Haruki looked like she already did commit murder, standing still with cold, narrowed eyes.
Some strange noise beside me makes me straighten against Haruki, looking towards the kitchen, but there's nothing there. Hmm, must have come from the game. Haruki is still in town, looking for quests.
"That's not the point!" Haruki continues. "You can't just go around kissing people without consent! Its wrong!"
"I think you're just mad she stole our kill," I tease.
"Well of course I'm mad at that! That's the second now! Its frankly fucking ridiculous!"
I look up. Her shoulders are hunched in anger. Had it been anyone else, I'd have… I don't know… gone quiet like I usually do. But in her arms I know I'm safe.
"Relax," I soothe. "Its not gonna ruin us."
She continues to seethe.
The conversation I had with Mayumi in my office a few days ago replays in my head. Haruki is serious about our dream, more so than even me. But she also relies on it for her income. Every stolen kill is money stolen from her pocket. Another blow to her sense of worth.
"We need a better way to find tips," I say.
"Mayumi says she's working on it."
"'Working on it'? That could mean anything."
"Well, what else are we to do? We're no one. No money. No connections. Until we get enough fame to have people come to us, we have to rely on odd jobs. Its a miracle we get this much."
"More will come," I stress. "Every endeavor starts small and grows steadily. We knew this when we began. Before we know it we'll be in the mid-ranks."
"That's another issue," she grumbles. "Once we get to the C-ranks we need training. Training and gear to keep up with the threat level. That woman last night, you saw her movements, right? Only Katsumi can move like that without assistance, and not for long. She was using a Cat's Tail Talisman, I guarantee it. And look, she bags C-classes all on her own." She shakes her head. "Imagine if we had one of those? It'd be a game changer."
I hum and look the thing up on my phone.
"It costs as much as a house!"
"A nice apartment, actually."
I scoff.
"So our problem still stands. We need money to make money."
"Unless we… acquire some gear?"
I purse my lips. "How?"
She grins without looking at me, and in the game, sneaks behind a merchant stall and steals some random item.
"I'm being serious, you know."
"So am I, darling."
"I never took you for a thief."
"And you would be correct, usually. But what if some of these demons of ours have loot? Magical artifacts aren't just useful for humans."
"Why would they? I don't expect they'd have use for such things."
"Mom told me that its known for high-ranking demons to hoard powerful artifacts so they can't be used against them. If we could find such a stash…"
"A long shot to be sure."
"Of course, but we should-"
Haruki's glass of water clatters against the floor, sending water across the wood. A cry leaves me and I leap to my feet.
"How the…" Haruki mutters. I'm already at my closet, pulling out a towel. "Sorry, thought I had put it in the middle…"
I wave her off and dry the spill, then take the towel to the bathroom and throw it with the dirty laundry. When I return I say, "It's an idea, but I think we should focus on the original plan."
"Make our little team seem like some go-to experts?"
"Yeah!" I say, standing over her. She's tall enough that her face comes up to my stomach, even sitting. "All the other high-ranks are flashy posers who are more interested in showing off than getting things done! There's a niche for a small, professional team who is quick, discrete, and one-hundred percent effective."
"Like what we did at the love hotel…" she murmurs.
"Yep! We've already gotten to that point."
It was a part of the original concept me and her cooked up shortly after we all decided to team up. Solo hunting is the most profitable way of doing it. So the only opening we have to be a team is to somehow get clients. Likely from impacted businesses or communities. Before now it was only an idea.
Haruki seems deep in thought, and instead she asks, "Which quest do you think we should take?"
"The Lord Sakura questline has that talisman we need…"
"Oh but that one is so boring. 'Oh, help these oh so great nobles who somehow can't do their one job of hunting demons.' Ugh."
"Its kinda accurate," I say. "Most nobles don't even hunt anymore."
"Exactly my point. Why are they even around?"
She grumbles again.
I remain standing, talking over our next move with her, balancing out which gear or power-up we need to prioritize. My mind quickly wanders though. I want to ask her if she'd like to live here, but I'm not sure when we're all going to really sit down and talk about it. The past few days have been busy, between the late night hunts and work. Our schedules haven't lined up right for all three of us to talk, just us. Its something I want to hopefully eliminate by having us all live together.
"Would you, umm… ever move out of your parents house?" I ask, stumbling over my words. She looks up at me quizzically.
"Eventually, I suppose. Why do you ask?"
I'm bouncing on my heels, but not out of excitement.
"I… well, I asked Mayumi if she wanted to move in…" Haruki's eyes widen, and I falter. She just waits though, like she usually does, face schooled into neutrality. I breathe, and continue. "…and I want you to as well.
I finish stiffly and overly-formal, but I don't care. I'm just glad I got it out.
Haruki leans back, her neutrality abandoned for something contemplative. Instinct tells me to rescind what I said, but I don't—I won't. I want this, and even if she doesn't want this, I want her to know I want it.
"What did Mayumi say?" she finally asks.
"That we should talk about it. All of us."
"I agree."
"But…" Nervous energy fills me. "Do you… would you want to? Live with me?"
Something complex shifts in her expression.
"Of course I would."
"I'm sensing a, 'but,' there…"
Her lips rise into a small smirk. "But I'll need to think about it."
"Okay…"
The disappointment that washes through me like summer rain can't be stopped. I look away. Something in me burns. Somewhere.
"Hey, come here."
The swoop of gravity takes me as she pulls me into her lap. I almost yelp, but I keep that much dignity. Her arms surround me though, so comforting, and she smells so good its impossible to resist. My cheek falls on her shoulder, my face goes to her neck. The burning lessens.
"I like this idea," she says.
"Really?" I say against her neck.
"This might be good for Mayumi. I've worried about her for a long time."
I pull back a little to give her a questioning look.
"Why are you worried?"
"She took Emi's—you remember our friend from high school? The one I mentioned?" I nod. "The loss… it affected us both, but… Mayumi hasn't been the same since. With this hunting business I…" A frustrated noise leaves her. "She's so angry, at everything. And I'm scared that it'll get her killed. That she'll walk into something she can't walk out of."
"I don't think that's a problem," I say immediately, remembering what Hotaru said. Mayumi isn't the same girl I met a year ago. "I trust her."
Haruki is quiet for a time.
"I hate that she's been alone. I mean, she's lived with a roommate and… but, its not the same. I've wished I could join her, but…"
She trails off, but I know what remains unsaid, She doesn't feel like she could contribute, and doesn't want to be a burden on Mayumi. I know now.
"…I'm just glad she'll have you, is all," she finishes.
My palms meet her shoulders.
"We want you with us too." Her jaw works as she tries to say something, so I add, "Just you. Nothing else. You could show up with nothing but your clothes and we'd be happy."
Never will I see her as a burden. Not ever.
It's her turn to look away, her face a frown of disbelief. I can't stand it. My arms go around her neck, and I whisper in her hair, "We want you, Haruki. Just you."
Her chest rises and falls against mine, driven by heavy breaths.
"Chie…"
"I won't argue. I refuse."
She looks away, towards the kitchen, as a heavy sigh leaves her. I only hold her tighter. She deserves it, all of this, and more. I'll show her that. Show her how much I…
"Chie? Did your lamp just move?"
I pull away suddenly.
"Excuse me?"
The lamp is as stationary as ever.
"I swear I… huh…" Before I can comment, she reaches out ever so slowly and taps the lampshade.
A little, "Ooop!" makes me startle, not only because the sound comes from the thing, but also because the lamp does a little hop. My hands tighten on Haruki's shoulders as the lampshade tilts back like a hat and a small green eye opens.
For a moment we only stare at each other.
Then I catch Haruki slowly moving her arm in the motion to summon her sword.
"No!" I shout, gasping her strong forearm with both hands.
The lamp leaps up and with a panicked trill, falls from the table, out of sight. The switch on it clicks and its light goes dark.
"Chie! It's a-"
"No!"
I jump up from her lap to go and kneel on the floor. The little thing is hiding under the table! Huddled in a corner! I find myself gasping.
"Hey little one, its okay. No one is going to hurt you, I promise." From the corner of my eye, Haruki stares at me like I've grown a second head. "You can come here, you're safe."
I flop on my side, making myself as small as possible. It works on the few cats I've interacted with, so one would assume it might here. I hold out my hand, palm up, and wiggle my fingertips. Like some kind of bait, the little lamp seems to take it. Tentatively hopping forward. Stopping ever so often to look around. The action reminds me of birds.
With another two hops it reaches my hand. I brush a finger across the base and the lightbulb clicks on while it makes some gentle trilling noise. Again, birdlike.
"You're so pretty! Such a cute little spirit! And the hat I picked for you looks so good on you." The lampshade seems to move with it like a little tophat. Its the cutest thing I've ever seen.
"Chie," Haruki mutters, "What the fuck?"
I pick up the lamp-spirit, cradling it in my lap like a cat, scratching it with my finger. By the increased frequency of the trilling, it seems to like it.
"Hotaru's been telling me all about different spirits, see? After Katsumi's kitsune, I wanted to know all about them in case, and this? This little girl is a tsukumogami!"
"That much is obvious."
"No, but a friendly one! Not a demon!" I look down at the lamp. "You're not evil, are you? Just a cutie!"
Haruki blinks at me.
"She told me that tsukumogami will only become demons if they are abandoned prior to their hundredth birthday, otherwise they're inert. Hmm, so how did you come to be little one…? I should ask…"
I pull out my phone and call Hotaru. It rings several times before she answers.
"Yes?" She says through the speakers. "Chie can it wait, I-"
"Quick question!" I exclaim. "Hypothetically, if a tsukumogami came to life and was friendly, why would that be?"
Silence on the other end. Did the call drop?
"Hello…? Hotaru…?"
"Its the lamp isn't it?"
I hesitate on my answer.
"How do you know?"
A sigh crackles through the speakers.
"I'll be right over."
■ ■ ■
「Hotaru」
"A baby?" Chie exclaims from her seat at her new table. Behind her, Haruki sits on the floor, playing with the spirit's 'tail', the power cord. It makes happy noises in response.
My head swivels to Chie.
"A newborn, actually."
Her lips part, and she looks back and forth between me and Haruki.
"I mean… it makes sense, but… I thought you said they were inert until…"
"That's if they become demons." I correct. "Tsukumogami often leave for the spirit world when they're born, but those that stay hide from humans. We must have bought it right before it gained awareness. When it woke up in your home next to the two of you, the poor thing must have panicked, unable to flee or hide."
Chie adopts wide eyes, staring at her spirit.
"Poor baby…"
My smile comes easy. I never expected her to be so… maternal. The sight is just adorable.
"So what do we do with it then?" Haruki asks, without looking at us.
"Keep it," I say. "These spirits are harmless if treated well, and they'll watch over your house and protect it. Though…" My smile grows. "They are known to play pranks."
"So she's a clever girl…" Chie remarks, rubbing her chin. "Say, do spirits have gender?"
My brows raise. "Do you?"
She clicks her tongue while Haruki chuckles.
"Fair." Her head drops into her hands. "What are we gonna name her?"
"We're going with 'her'?" Haruki remarks, studying the spirit. "I mean… I can see it, I guess..."
"This is a lesbian household, so she's an honorary girl… or something..."
Haruki snickers.
Chie looks at me. "Say, what about-"
She's interrupted by a knock on the door, which makes her jump a little. Before anyone can move, a key turns in the lock and Mayumi walks in, eyes low.
"Hey nerd, know I shoulda texted but I thought I'd surprise you tw…"
Mayumi freezes in the doorway, eyes wide, taking in the scene of me and Chie at the table and Haruki on the floor with a tsukumogami hopping around.
Chie leaps to her feet.
"Mayumi!" She calls, running up to hug her, which seems to bring some life back into her gloomy girlfriend. Chie pulls back, arms still around her and gestures back at the room. "Look! That lamp I bought turned out to be a baby spirit, isn't she cute?!"
Even from across the room I catch the slight twitch of Mayumi's eye as she slowly takes in the scene before her. The seconds stretch long, tension building with each one. Then, with a motion reminiscent of the first cracks before a landslide, the corner of Mayumi's lips rise. The only warning before she bursts into wild, uncontrollable laughter.