Come by Night 3: Kitsune No Yomeiri

Chapter Seven - About Town

*Cho-han – Japanese dice game
*ofuda – kanji written on paper or wooden blocks for the purposes of bestowing a blessing
*omamori – a piece of paper with a charm or desire written upon it and placed in a silk envelope for safekeeping
*shuki set – the combination of tokurri flask and ochoko cups for drinking nihonshu 🍶

I step out into the steady flow of foot traffic. No one is the wiser that I am a yōkai. If the humans jostling around me knew, they would soil themselves. Most assess me as an middle-aged human of small account. I don't even merit a second glance.

I scout around, knowing sooner or later I will find what we need: a cart and wares I can glamour. I am powerful enough to keep my illusions in the Celestial Realm, which is fortunate. There is no way I'll find anything good enough for the taking that would be allowed into the kami's fair. I just need a suitable base to weave my spells around.

In the shadow of a nearby alley, there is a merchant standing in line to play at tiles. He has a cart filled with pottery, which upon closer inspection appears to be tokkuri and ochoko — shuki sets. These are not good enough to even be admitted to the shrine, let alone the Celestial Realm. Not yet, anyway.

"No luck, friend?" I ask the merchant.

He turns. "Only kind I got, I think," he says miserably. This one is a sucker who believes fortune is granted rather than gained.

"I feel for you. I might be able to help, but..." I look away, pretending I have said too much, and hold a small pouch as if it were the most precious thing in the world to me. "Forget I said anything."

"Why? You have a charm?" he asks, excited now. Some of those who come here purchase of ofuda and omamori to obtain the things they think they most desire. The charms dedicated to wealth and health are the biggest sellers.

"Well..." I hem and haw, scuffing and looking away as I fluster with the sleeves of my kimono.

"Oh, come on! You gotta tell!"

"All right," I concede at last and lead him deeper into the alley. "I have a pair of lucky dice for playing Cho-han. They always give the number you want." I pull out the dice in a little bamboo cup. "Give me a number," and he does. I slam the cup down, and his amount comes up. When he expresses disbelief, I do it again, and a third time for good measure.

"What's the trick? How's it done?" he wants to know.

Now I get cagey. "I shouldn't be saying anything..."

"You have to let me in on the secret," he begs.

I look at him with suspicion, then give in. "Between you and me, okay? They're not mine originally. My brother-in-law says he got them from a tanuki for freeing the beast from a trap. But he went and took it too far with these, and he was branded a cheat. Now I have them, except I don't want them."

"Tanuki dice?" The fool ogles them with avarice. "What do you want for them?"

"Well, I need money to get him out, and I can't afford it. Say, would you give me your cart and pottery for them? You can get a thousand times over what's in that old thing in a single night!"

The merchant is about to balk, but when I demonstrate the power of the enchanted dice again, he greedily accepts the exchange. With a broad smile, he dives into the nearest tobakujou without a backward glance. I take the cart and begin pulling it down the street, a wry grin twisting my lips.

Back at the resting house, I deposit the cart in the shadows of the alley next to the establishment. I cannot believe my good fortune to return to you early! Perhaps we can while away some pleasurable time together before we leave on our mission...

I hear a disturbance. I scarce pay it any heed, just the laughter of lesser demons playing at their sport. But then I hear your muffled scream, and I smell your perfume and your fear.

Hotaru?

My ears prick up at once. How did you get into the shadows? Surrounded by a hungry pack of vicious filth-lickers, no less! I warded the room after I left. No harm could have come to you had you stayed inside. Why did you leave?

But that is a concern for later, when you are safe.

I stride into the shadows, fearing to lose my wife on the same day I lost my daughter! I will rampage if that happens, until the gods collectively bestir themselves to put me down. Here my glamours cannot sustain, so I am my glorious nine tailed self, my kitsunebi-emblazoned kimono rippling like mist about my tall, lithe frame. When the yōkai tormenting you see me, they scream. Wretched fools. They will pay for daring to come near you!

I set one on fire with scarce a thought, simply for daring to take what is mine. I swipe another through with my claws, and throw it aside. Then I draw my sword and lop the head off another. These are roaches to a great demon such as myself, and they scatter like the vermin they are.

"Hotaru!"

"Isamu?"

You look up at me from where you lay crouched. You are unharmed, I think, just frightened. My relief turns into irritation. This has jeopardized everything! If the ones that got away spread rumors that a white kyuubi smited them... if the wrong ears hear of this and decide to make trouble...

What's done is done. We shall deal with the consequences when the time comes. It is you who are my priority now.