True Magician

Chapter 105

Kyoto.

Like a perfectly sensible man, I had teleported away from home to avoid trouble and, of course, to settle the ever-delayed matter concerning Yasaka and me. And at the moment, my feet were carrying me towards her palace, bypassing the beautifully lit streets of the ancient city and the vast number of yokai.

Apparently Gabriel, Irina, and Griselda had shown up at the residence to check in there. And I'm already foreshadowing their absolutely precisely valid reason for doing so.

Michael is not stupid, and certainly noticed the look that Griselda threw at me. But she is a mere complement, as is Irina, unlike Gabriel. Even the blind, deaf and feeble-minded would realize what the Viceroy of Heaven is trying to accomplish.

Yes, in fact, he is using his sister, one of the purest, most beautiful and, by the way, strongest angels, but his end basically justifies the means. Michael is well aware that he needs to somehow connect Heaven to me, and who better suited than Gabriel herself? He also knows that I wouldn't lay a hand on her in any conceivable or unthinkable way. All because I'm "human," as unusual as that sounds.

Anyway, while pondering all of this, I managed to arrive at the entrance to the palace, which was guarded by a pair of tengu. They greeted me briefly and let me inside while one of them went to alert Yasaka.

And now, I'm already sitting in a not small room at a table with a cup of hot tea in my hand, just like on my last visit here. And, of course, it would be foolish to leave me unobserved, so there was someone above the ceiling. Yokai and a ninja, though not the same one as that time.

After a while, about half an hour or so, Yasaka came into the room, and she looked tired or even exhausted. Her unsteady gait, slightly red eyes and dark circles under them hidden behind light makeup, slow sharp movements and so on spoke directly to the fact that Yasaka had had better days. Though, given our situation...

- Thank you for waiting, Romani-san. I've had more and more worries lately," she began, sitting down across from me and adjusting her kimono, then poured the tea and took a sip, "You may go now, Yume. I'd like to speak to my guest alone.

After a couple moments, the presence above the ceiling disappeared, and now it was just me and Yasaka in the room. I gave her time to recover a bit before continuing our conversation. It was a touchy subject, after all.

- Huh..." she sighed in relief, "Now we can continue. I apologize for that.

- It's all right, Yasaka-san. You don't need to apologize," I waved her away, "Besides, your condition is my fault, isn't it?

- The question of our... relationship... was really occupying my thoughts. For a moment I thought that my letter had not reached you, or that you had decided to postpone it altogether. May I ask if there was a reason why you delayed your visit so long?

I smiled wryly.

I can't say I was saving another world on the whim of one overgrown mosquito, can I? Or how one fairy queen forced me to go on a date with her without being able to turn her down? Well, or that Sirzechs technique? All of this can be generalized, though.

- All I can say is that things poured over my head like a bucket of ice water. To be honest, my visit could have been rescheduled now as well, but as you can see, I'm here.

- Am I distracting you? I'm embarrassed to hear that.

- Come on, let's just cut to the chase," I smiled, "I'm ashamed to admit it, but I haven't thought about our question. My honest opinion is that it's worth a try. The same couple dates or something like that, for example. After all, we're strangers now. What do you think, Yasaka-san?