Onihunter Yuna 2

52 Dinner Plans (Present)

"An... Oni? You mean a... demon?" he assured himself.

"Forget it. That was stupid of me." From embarrassment she got some color on her face. "My apologies."

"Oh no. You have a razor-sharp, analytical mind, Omura-san."

"Um..." She gave him a helpless smile. "Thank you very much."

The undertaker leaned forward and whispered, "You are right. I am an Oni, just like Yoshiro Takagi was."

Her heartbeat quickened. "For real?"

"Yes, but perhaps we should have this conversation in another place." He had already identified several sources that paid more attention to their conversation than he liked. "Maybe you will allow me to invite you to dinner for my offense, Omura-san?"

She got a little clammy. "I'm not quite sure. We don't know each other."

"You have nothing to fear from me, Omura-san. We can only go for a drink if you prefer."

"Oh no. I'm pregnant. I can't drink."

When the details of her pregnancy reached him, the Oni almost lost his ability to speak. He stared at her face for a moment, then his gaze moved to her stomach. He knew that the thoughts were always subjective, but this woman in front of him was convinced that Yoshiro was the father of her child. A circumstance that was completely impossible, since Oni were incapable of having children. But then Yoshiro also left a body after his death, another circumstance that was considered impossible. Perhaps there was another clue to the mystery of the Han'yō right in front of him.

Maybe one of the parents of the Masuda girls was an Oni? From Yoshiro's thoughts, Shinji knew that Kensuke Masuda had powers, but these, like his daughter's, had only awakened after he had destroyed an Oni. So had his father been an Oni? Or has this latent gift been inherited over generations?

"Shiba-san?" Midori asked tentative. The undertaker had just stared at her stomach and showed no emotion. "Everything okay?"

Blinking, he shook his head. "I am very sorry. I..." He was not used to being surprised, since he usually was aware of all the processes around him, but this news had pulled it off. "I would prefer if we could continue this conversation undisturbed."

The nurse nodded understandingly. "I agree. You know what? Dinner would be just right. I'm almost starved to death."

"With the utmost pleasure, Omura-san." He offered his arm to her so she could hook in.

"You're awfully polite, Shiba-san," laughed the nurse.

"A circumstance that I have to attribute to my age."

"How old are you?"

"Almost seventy years, Omura-san."

"I would have guessed you in your mid-thirties. Will you tell me your secret?"

With a wink, the undertaker answered, "It's the bald head."

Laughing, Midori hooked in and together they walked outside. She was about to lead him to the taxi stand as he pulled her towards the parking lot. Irritated, she looked at him from the side, but he only smiled slightly, pulled a small remote control from his pocket and pressed a button. One of the cars turned on the lights and the doors were unlocked. The pregnant woman did not miss the fact that it was an expensive car.

"You have a car," she remarked.

"As I said, you have a very sharp mind, Omura-san." She had to admit that he had a very sympathetic grin.