Antuki: A Little Boy's Story

Chapter 9: Hegai

"How do you like your new clothes, Aki-chan?"

"I think they're splendid, Hegai. Thank you."

Hegai was an angel from Heaven's Clothing Department. Upon direct instructions from the Almighty, he'd been tasked with facilitating the next stage of Akio and Yoko's training.

The angel had arrived at the two friends' makeshift home some weeks after Kamikaze's guided tour of the Second Heaven. By then, the boy and his fairy had had enough time to digest everything they'd seen and heard. After being formally introduced to the reality of the world of spirits, they now found they were able to perceive demonic and angelic activity around them more clearly.

Upon his arrival, Hegai had told the two companions that he was going to take them both on a day out. Leaving their humble abode, he led them to a nearby eatery which was already quite busy at this time of morning. They spent about an hour there, laughing and joking about things which had happened recently in their lives. Akio later decided that he'd never enjoyed a meal more.

Once they had eaten their fill, the angel took them to the finest tailor in town. There, he asked the tailor, Mr. Miyazaki to make Akio a magnificent custom suit. Strangely, though, Mr. Miyazaki didn't seem to realize that Akio was a little boy, treating him like a full-grown man instead. Akio eventually learned that the angel had restrained the tailor's vision so that he'd perceive him that way.

Although such suits usually took weeks to make, Mr. Miyazaki miraculously found one hanging around his shop, which happened to match the measurements he'd just taken from Akio. The bewildered tailor shook his head in wonder, saying that he'd had an odd motivation to make that suit a few weeks earlier and that such a thing had never happened to him before. Hegai simply responded that it was the work of Heaven, an explanation which Mr. Miyazaki readily accepted.

Once Akio's suit was ready, Hegai took him and Yoko to a textile shop some distance away. There, the angel purchased a beautiful silk kimono for Yoko, which was a far cry from the miniature ones she'd always made for herself. Unlike those, this one was gorgeously patterned and life-sized in scale. The suit and the kimono must have cost a fortune, but somehow Hegai had more than enough cash to pay for it.

The angel commanded Akio and Yoko to put on their new garments, which they obediently did. To their amazement, they were immediately transformed into a Japanese man and woman, perfectly capable of blending into the society around them. A delighted Yoko also found that she could use human speech for the first time.

"These clothes will help you in your line of duty," explained Hegai. "Once you put them on, you'll assume your current appearance and be able to interact with adults without arousing suspicion. Therefore, take good care of these gifts from your Father in Heaven."

"Thank you, Hegai!" exclaimed the little boy and his fairy, giving him a grateful hug. The angel only laughed in response – this was his job, after all.

With their task complete, Hegai took Akio and Yoko on a leisurely stroll around Okayama. It was now autumn, and trees everywhere were draped in lovely shades of yellow and orange. Life was also beginning to return to normal, with happy young couples walking about everywhere. For a moment, it seemed that the war had never happened.

Suddenly, the angel stopped and drew their attention to a little girl wandering the streets aimlessly. "Come," he said, "we must follow her."

"Why, Hegai?" asked Yoko in puzzlement.

"Because she's a prime target of our enemy," the angel replied. "We must stop him before it's too late."

The two friends followed Hegai as he tracked the little girl through the crowd of people, with a look of urgency on his face.