Chapter Hundred Twenty-One — The Trial of Flying Very, Very Fast
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Chapter Hundred Twenty-One

The Trial of Flying Very, Very Fast

 

 

"You sound cheery," Abihiko noted. He took a look outside through the window to check the daylight time.

It was already night, though, and the deep indigo burned in the sky lit up with the glow from the city.

"I'm just excited about seeing you. The first day of the Trial was so good. All the people in the streets are talking about you and how amazing you were."

Worry clawed Nekohiko's heart when he noticed that Abihiko didn't rush to get to him this very second. Usually, he always would.

So why not now?

"Is everything all right?"

"It is. The Trial went very well for what I thought it would be," Abihiko replied, still leafing through the manuscript pages before him. "In fact, too well, perhaps. I want to believe that we are just that good -- and that Morokata has made mistakes or hasn't prepared well for the Trial. But..."

Nekohiko listened, hushed.

Abihiko genuinely sounded grave. This was not something that could be swept away and forgotten for the time being.

"What are you saying?"

"I can't be with you tonight. They would spy after me, following my every move now that they know where I am and who I will meet with. Actually, just you being here might also endanger our plans for the defense tomorrow. I don't want to go to the Emerald Palace either for the night. I'd rather spend my time here, checking every last detail before the next day."

...

They weren't meeting?

Nekohiko wouldn't see him tonight?

Somehow, even though he sensed reasoning in Abihiko's words and decisions, he found himself so... disappointed. So hurt by the idea of not spending time together before the big day.

Tomorrow was such an intense moment, with the truth and the defense and the no-doubt open clash with Morokata. Nekohiko knew Abihiko needed rest and care before such an occasion. Of course he did. He chose to forego it for the sake of the mission they wanted to accomplish. Which was admirable, sure.

But Nekohiko also needed care, tonight. Also needed warmth and understanding and... just, Abihiko.

That he would go to their small home alone, to sleep in the cold bed where just yesterday, Abihiko had lay... It was depressing.

When Nekohiko spoke, he sounded choked.

"I understand. You're right. But I just... hate being away from you, even a moment. And it has been an entire day already."

Abihiko smiled. His hand went for the seashell, caressing it gently with his fingertips.

"You are not away from me, not even for a second, Neko. What are you even talking about?"

"I don't mean the seashell! I told you... I want something more! I want... us. Not the creepy man stroking his seashell lovingly."

"Ah," Abihiko drawled, finally letting a shade of humor creep into his voice. "So a creepy man stroking his doll lovingly instead?"

...

"The doll can stroke the man back too, you know. So not as creepy anymore, is it?"

"Still pretty creepy, if you ask me."

Their endearing back-and-forth went on for a while before Nekohiko finally had no choice but to leave. His doll body was in front of the State Hall and he needed to take it elsewhere. Preferably back to Old Ema's home...

He just found it impossible to leave.

His seashell hung so safely against Abihiko's throat hollow, hidden within the high collars of his layered robes. He felt as though nestled in a warm nook, like a forest animal before harsh winter. And now, he had to leave?

"Can I see your face? I miss you," Nekohiko whispered, embarrassed to even utter such a thing.

But Abihiko didn't find it ridiculous to say. He humphed as though surprised but diligently took the seashell pendant off his neck cord and turned it around.

His face was so lovely and smug, Nekohiko yearned to see him in person even more now. During today's Trial, he hadn't had any good chance to.

He ached.

"I miss you too, Neko." Abihiko stilled, the seashell extended in his hand awkwardly. "I feel like I need to kiss you now. But you're a seashell, and it would be weird."

Would be weirder if I were in my cat form.

"Kiss me when we meet again," Nekohiko sighed. "So that I can definitely kiss you in return."

Without looking back once, he shifted to his human doll body, shivering with how silly he must have sounded to Abihiko's ears. First, begging to look at him, now telling such obnoxiously-sweet nonsense as kissing promises... Argh!

What was this marriage doing to him?!

He got to his feet and took a decisive pace down the wide staircase leading from one courtyard around the State Hall to the next one. The city's murmur far in the distance welcomed him back, the cool nightly breeze tugging at his clothes needily -- but his thoughts were still with Abihiko.

He didn't even get to tell him about the Utsuro suspicions...

Not that he thought it was necessary. Before such a hard day as tomorrow, what would it matter, to keep this grim knowledge away from Abihiko? He didn't even have proofs Aomi promised him yet.

Speaking of which--

"Here he is!"

Someone slammed into him.

And a whole flurry of aggravating hugs and kisses crushed him over.

...!

He barely managed to not topple as at least two people jumped on top of him and pulled him into an intense embrace, from both sides.

"Spirits bless Kasuga and her spying wind powers! We found you in no time!" Aomi chirped, hanging off Nekohiko's neck like a rice bag. "I am sorry I left you all alone, my beautiful insect! I will never do that again! Please don't be mad at me, please please please--"

"Aomi, ugh! You are choking me!" Nekohiko turned his head to give the second person smothering him a piece of his mind, too. But...

Instead, his heart melted when he saw Kotone's beaming face. He even forgot about the two of the girls clinging to him like this.

"Kotone, you are better!" he cried. "And Haehime--?"

"She is still woozy about this whole... mortal realm thing." Kotone waved a hand vaguely. "But she is conscious at times and can even eat something. As long as it's not awful Hira castle cuisine, of course..."

Good. Finally. The Spirit-attuned could sometimes go for days without food or drink, but it didn't mean they should.

"Ugh. Don't even remind me!" Aomi whined, still nuzzling into Nekohiko's neck like an overexcited puppy. "I am starved for something not as bland as what the Hira household forced into me these last weeks! Starved! Can we please go and get Eldest Brother and have him take us to the fanciest and most delicious place in all of Nara?! Please?"

...

Nekohiko almost forgot about the evening spent without Abihiko. But of course Aomi had to remind him, didn't she?

He wanted nothing more than to go back to Old Ema's house and curl on the bed, waiting for tomorrow, but Aomi, Kotone, and Kasuga, too -- all three of them so happy to see him?

He just couldn't push them away like this.

Especially after he saw the hidden mirth in Kasuga's eyes. The girl stood a bit away from the messy hugging trio and didn't intrude upon their private matters. But it was clear she was giddy as well.

The first day of the Trial was a big deal for her, too. And now that she stood here without Mikawa, Nekohiko could guess just how much she wanted to share her joy with others. With anyone who could celebrate with her.

The blurry lights of the city ahead were just as gaudy as always, promising the most sumptuous, greasiest, most decadent feasts and entertainments imaginable. Nekohiko wouldn't be able to fall asleep now anyway, with how agitated he felt.

A distraction was not so bad, after all.

"I know just the place," he told the three girls, shrugging Aomi off and carefully unglueing Kotone from himself next. He liked them both just fine, but please -- don't touch me!

Only Abihiko may touch me. And only sometimes.

And none of you are him, alas.

"Follow me. It's celebration time," he said and took the lead out of the Quiet Palace and to the frenetic city streets outside.

 

 


***

 

He took them to a noodle place around the corner from the Old Ema's house. Just because this was where he and Abihiko had used to eat five years ago, and he missed the small cramped place.

But the girls didn't notice how tiny the noodle shop was or how limited its menu. They gushed about what they'd seen on the streets on their way here and how many people talked about the Trial defense tomorrow.

It didn't take a long while for Kotone and Aomi to start sharing gossip about the Great Lords -- Morokata specifically -- and for Nekohiko and Kasuga to tune them out.

Gossip. Ugh.

Instead, Nekohiko preferred normal human-to-human talk. About the people he genuinely cared about.

"Is Mikawa doing all right?" he asked Kasuga as the four of them strolled down the street again, eating candied fruit on the skewers. After the noodle shop, they had separated into two pairs. The loud ones in the front, and Nekohiko and Kasuga in the back, only slightly aware of where the others were going and why.

Apparently, Aomi wanted to show Kotone something she'd taken a liking for during her stay in Nara after the Imperial Wedding. The girl was very noisy about it, so of course everyone had to follow. She had prepared for this, too, it seemed. Because she had dressed her outfit up with the hanging ruby tears off her hairpins, the flowy red-and-blue robes, the black lacquered fan in her hand with the picture of a besieged castle amidst the fogs. This was her night out, and she wanted it to be special, with or without Abihiko next to her.

"If he can't come and celebrate with us, then we just have to celebrate even harder for his sake!" she'd told Nekohiko brightly, and this was it.

But so far, Nekohiko merely absorbed the atmosphere of a fast-paced city and the glamour of its shining buildings and parlors on every corner. Celebrations could wait till after tomorrow, surely.

"Mikawa is... fine," Kasuga replied to his questions, awkward. She didn't eat her fruit skewer, only picked at it with her fingers. "I wanted to apologize to you and Lord Abihiko about him abandoning you in the Black Ship Forest. It was... irresponsible of him."

...

Nekohiko did not want to sully the celebratory mood with the mentions of the Black Ship Forest -- or about the breakup between him and Mikawa. The young boy was his own free person. He did not owe anything to Nekohiko, especially when Nekohiko's persona made him so uncomfortable.

Nekohiko didn't even know how much Mikawa had told Kasuga about the true causes of the Black Ship Forest. Did the girl know about who had made that place?

"It's all right. He had his reasons," Nekohiko said carefully.

But the girl merely nodded, not treating the discussion as grimly as she would, if she knew. Which only proved that Mikawa had kept the secret of the Black Ship Forest to himself.

...thank you, Mikawa. At least for this.

Nekohiko didn't want to lose Kasuga's trust and kindness, too.

"Overall, he is not feeling well lately. Today, he almost got sick on the Trial, so worried he became at some of the allegations people made of me."

"You are all the family he has," Nekohiko said.

"Yes. I am lucky to have my blood-related Nagare relatives in spades while he has no one but me. But, still... he also sometimes feels like the only real family I have. So perhaps I should go to him and spend the evening with him now." The girl shook her head, unsure. "I asked him to come out with me, but he said he doesn't want to do anything tonight."

"Mmmm. And you?"

...

Kasuga dithered. "I want to. I don't know what, but..."

And she cast a wistful look around them, struggling to find words. "What if the defense tomorrow is not as successful as today has been? What if this is the last time I can..."

The last time she can... enjoy life?

Before being sentenced to death?

"What? Never think something like that!" Nekohiko stopped, blocking her path. He wanted to hold her, so much her words struck him. "You will not be executed, I can promise you that! You are one of the Great Lords, and the Empire needs you. Everyone knows that."

But Kasuga only grew quieter, her chin dropping lower as her brow furrowed.

"Need me for what? For... flying very-very fast?"

"..."

She was quoting Morokata, from one of his many offhand remarks during the Trial today.

Morokata had asked Kasuga what purpose did her Great Lord Binding ever serve to the Empire in all of Kasuga's life other than to "fly very, very fast" and abuse her other powers over those who could not defend themselves against her. Would she save the Empire, fight a monstrous enemy, protect the people with the signature flight of the Nagares?

He'd insinuated that all Kasuga was good at was flying away. Escaping. Compared to her late fathers or all the previous Nagare Lords who had all been champions and heroes.

Kasuga was not yet a war hero like all her predecessors had been, so her abusing her powers on lessers was even more abhorrent when they were so unearned.

The statement had hit Kasuga hard, Nekohiko realized only now. Back during the Trial, he hadn't even paid it attention, so throwaway it was. Morokata was subtly attacking people left and right -- who would even notice it?

But it did lodge into her. It ate at her.

It hurt her.

"Am I really good for anything else other than 'flying fast'?" Kasuga whispered. "I am trying to defend my people, but... we aren't under any attacks from outside the Empire. So the only enemies I can defend against are... neighboring Kingdoms. And fighting them is not exactly honorable, is it? We are the same people, deep inside."

Nekohiko didn't know what to say since she was right. He hated it that the Great Lords fought amidst each other and tore apart the Empire. But at the point where there already was no unity to speak of, what was even the Empire? By now, there were just five warring kingdoms on his island.

No Empire at all.

He didn't blame Kasuga for doing what she could for the Nagare citizens. Yet he still didn't know what to tell her to distract her from Morokata's verbal attacks.

He wasn't the best at talking. To anyone.

"The only thing I am remotely talented at is inventing new things for the military," Kasuga went on, dejected. "But I suppose Hira Binders and Towa Binders are also good at doing that with their respective methods. So what would make the Nagare method truly unique, in my hands? Nothing."

"I am not the best person to ask for help in these matters. I am not good... at talking. But I know for sure either of your fathers would have been proud to see you today," he said, feeling scared to ruin something with his clumsy attempts.

"My fathers? Heroes who died protecting those they loved? Would be proud of a daughter whose only talent is flight?"

...

"Do you think you should die protecting your loved ones just to be able to compare to the heroes of the past?" Nekohiko blurted. "That's... not right."

The moody girl sighed, walking past Nekohiko to follow after Aomi and Kotone, as before. "At least then nobody would blame me for failing or for being only good at 'flying very, very fast'."

"It would devastate those you love, to hear you think so. I wonder if Mikawa does, right this moment, knowing how often he listens in to protect you."

...

This time, Kasuga paused first. But she didn't turn, only stiffened.

"Aomi? Kotone?" Hesitant, Nekohiko called the two who had gotten pretty far ahead, prattling on about insignificant things. "Kasuga is feeling sad..."

...and I don't know what to do other than offer my shitty advice.

"I do not feel sad, just lost," Kasuga tried to mumble, but all her words got drowned out by the busy chatter the other two pulled out seemingly from nowhere.

"After the first day at Trial as amazing as today?"

"In the most beautiful city ever made?"

"After Sweet Abihiko has promised to give you an even better day at court tomorrow?"

Aomi crushed Kasuga into her embrace, nearly spilling a drink she'd snatched from one of the stalls earlier. "That's it -- we're all going Light Mirroring! Not just Kotone and me -- but each one of us, yaaay!"

...Light Mirroring?

What was that? Some other Binding novelty Nekohiko had never heard of? He was instantly curious, and so was Kasuga. Which was great. Something for both of them to distract themselves with. And boy, was Light Mirroring quite a feat to get distracted by...

 

 


***

 

All Nekohiko got from Aomi's haphazard and confused description was that it was a mirror reflection. Lifted as an Aspect from the mirror and grafted onto a piece of wood or silk or paper as a souvenir. He didn't get it, really. From a mirror onto an unreflective surface? Huh?

But once Aomi dragged them into the very crowded little building south of the Main Nara street and shoved them in front of one of the Towa Binders who worked in this place, Nekohiko finally understood. The rows with silver mirrors in front of them, the people posing and smiling at their reflections rigidly.

This was... a picture-casting place.

The Towa Binder next to him was telling all four of them to stand in front of the mirror exactly in the way they felt was appropriate for a portrait. He would do the rest -- casting the Light Mirroring spell for them.

Making a picture.

"Silk, paper, wood, jade, amber?" the Towa Binder mumbled, without even looking at them. "What surface do you want the portrait to be grafted onto?"

"Mmmmm... which is the fanciest?" Aomi twirled in front of the mirror, directly in the center, elbowing Kotone, Kasuga, and Nekohiko aside to make room for herself as she checked how her collars and hairpins looked in the reflection. She turned to Kasuga, demanding. "How much money you have with you?"

"Me? I--"

Kasuga was stricken. She had already paid for the noodle bowls in the stall because nobody else had money with them regardless of how ostentatiously Aomi was dressed.

"We will buy the cheapest surface," Nekohiko told the Towa Binder who nodded at him with a scoff.

"So, wood. Aight. One wood panel picture coming up."

For a moment, all Nekohiko could do was wince at the fact that wood was supposedly the cheapest and most banal choice. Somehow, this stung. But he didn't have time to sulk about it. Because--

"Everyone, look amazing!" Aomi yelled, and kicked Nekohiko in the shin.

Owww!

He could only give out his creepiest, fakest smile, so upset he was. But there was no redoing anything. The three girls around him looked quite nice in comparison, and the Towa Binder already stole the Mirror Image aspect from the reflection and was busy pulling it onto the wooden panel.

But oh well.

Nekohiko didn't care about his looks that much to begin with.

Though now that he and others waited for the spell to be over, he wondered about the technology behind the spell and how ingenious the Towa Binders were, manipulating the matter and light itself to such a degree. Wistful, he smiled to himself, imagining a Light Mirror picture of Abihiko he could have for himself.

Just in case.

If he had a picture of Abihiko, he wouldn't need to ask him personally to show his face and would be able to glance at the picture any time he wanted. Maybe even a series of pictures! In different poses and maybe... in different states of undress... just to humiliate Abihiko more with the knowledge Nekohiko had something like that. Nekohiko could even try to do such a spell himself -- it looked simple enough.

Ahhhh, how convenient--

"You are also thinking about how amazing the technology is?" Kasuga asked him, sounding awed.

Nekohiko flinched. "Yes, yes, absolutely. The technology is... mindblowing. So many uses."

"For war," Kasuga breathed, her eyes lighting up for a few brief moments. "For the glory of the Empire."

...

"Yes. Mmmmhhm. For that, too."

Aomi exploded with clapping and hopping on one spot as soon as the Towa Binder finalized the last finger formations for the spell.

"Dooone! Give me! Give me now!"

"Ahhh, I cannot believe Haehime missed this all for the sake of lying like a log back in the Hira castle," Kotone lamented as she leaned over Aomi who received the wooden picture tablets from the Binder. All four of them.

Nekohiko couldn't help but gape. "Four pictures?"

"Of course." Aomi rolled her eyes, then shoved one of the wooden tablets into his hands. "Each one of us gets one. Otherwise who do you think should have it to reminisce about this day? You? Pffff. Oh my Spirits. NEKO! What's with your face on it??? Master Binder, please? Can we redo this? I cannot appear on the same portrait as that freaky mannequin of a human! This picture will give me nightmares!"

"No retakes," the Binder answered.

He had no idea what storm that would cause.

"Excuse me?!" Aomi whined, looking very miserable. "But-but... this picture you made is so ugly! My friend ruined it for me! I need another one so that I won't be ashamed to ever show it to other people!"

Nekohiko slowly blinked, unamused by Aomi's insinuations about his pose in the picture.

"Excuse me, Young Mistress, but there is a line behind you," a strict voice of the Binding overseer snapped from the center of the bustling shop.

"Uuuuugh!" Aomi stomped her foot but had to free the way for the next people in the queue. "I will just paint his face over, then!"

...

It wasn't that bad, all right?

Nekohiko squinted and turned the wooden tablet around, unable to understand what Aomi was harping on about. The picture looked wonderful. The four lifelike, absolutely mirrored images of the four of them, grafted onto the wooden surface so cleanly, one would think it was a wooden mirror altogether!

The tablet itself was only slightly beyond the palm-length -- easy to carry around and keep. It showed Aomi in the middle with her majestic smile and perfect poise. Kotone to her left, almost leaning over her shoulder, the dimples in her cheeks so prominent now that Nekohiko could focus on her image and discern them. Kasuga on Aomi's right, seeming more spooked than excited as she stared at the mirror reflection of herself with something akin to... embarrassment. Or maybe just plain dislike.

And Nekohiko behind them all, towering above Aomi with how short the girl was. Smiling with all his teeth, it seemed, and looking positively horrified to be in the picture.

But, well... Nekohiko knew he looked like this every time he was outside mingling with people. So he saw no real issue with the picture representing life as it should.

"Abihiko would love it," he grumbled, shoving the small portrait into his collars and noting how happy and mesmerized the girls were with the pictures.

All three of them now walked side by side down the street, murmuring and comparing the pictures and arguing about whose was better made and about which poses would look best the next time they took them.

Even after they chanced upon some doll shop and a store with decorative swords and daggers Aomi just couldn't help but want to invade, the Light Mirroring images were still the main thing they talked about.

So much that Kasuga couldn't put the picture down, staring at it over and over as though spellbound.

They stood in the line to the opera house to see some play Aomi said she would "absolutely die without! Right now!". Nekohiko was exhausted to the point where he couldn't even comprehend what was going on around him.

He just wanted home, not to any opera houses.

So he jumped on any occasion to disrupt Aomi's grand plans. He leaned over to Kasuga, noting the girl's quiet interest in the picture.

"We could go back to your inn and try to graft an image of something random, like nature or furniture in the room," he offered, wanting nothing more than to flee this boisterous evening.

And since Kasuga was, apparently, so good at fleeing things...

"Furniture?" Aomi snorted. "So, the pictures of you, Neko?"

...

What was it with Aomi today? Did she make it her goal to bully him into oblivion all of a sudden?

"Young lady, I will tell your brother about your behavior. You will be in great trouble tomorrow, I'm telling you."

Good thing that neither Kotone nor Kasuga paid their bickering any attention.

"Hey, the Spirits of the Twinkling Voices!" Kotone waved at something only she could see within the Opera Building. "Say hi to the Spirits of the Coughing Audience for me, too!"

Kasuga shook her head at the picture. "Sorry, Nekohiko. I don't want to repeat it. That would be mere copying of the spell from a third-rate Binder. I wish I had the original sequences and equations of the one who came up with this spell."

"Sooo... Iokirihime?" Aomi waved her fan with a flourish, then poked her small button nose into Kasuga's face. "The Light Mirroring spell was invented by Iokirihime, herself."

Kasuga drew back, wary. "...really?"

Aomi's grin only widened. "I have a new great idea! Why don't we crash Iokirihime's dressing salon! I never could get access to there because I am, apparently, not anyone of significant note -- but you definitely would! Let's go see Iokirihime!"

"What?" Kasuga paled, wanting to hide behind Nekohiko. "I-Iokirihime...? Now?"

"Of course now! Come on! She's really great from what I've seen. If a bit... woozy. But hey, Kotone is woozy, too, and so is Neko. I don't see how me, you, and they wouldn't manage to get along with Iokirihime!" Suddenly, Aomi almost looked as though her eyes would pop right out of their sockets, so deliriously happy she became. "I wonder what her thoughts about the Trial today were, too! Don't you? Come on, come on -- let's pay her a visit!"

....oooof.

This sounded way too social and aggravating to Nekohiko. He even wanted to run away, dumping Kasuga as long as it meant saving himself.

"It's past midnight, Aomi. Kasuga has an early day tomorrow. And you... are only fourteen years old, too. Shouldn't you be in bed already?"

Too bad.

He shouldn't have called Aomi's focus to himself.

Because the moment she narrowed her eyes, so cunning and calculating, it scared him. He knew she would force him to come with her and others. Whatever it cost her.

"Hey, Kasu... are you going to run away from Iokirihime when you have such an ample chance to get to know your family's arch-nemesis better?" Aomi slipped to Kasuga in a croon. "Are you going to flee?"

Kasuga stilled as though smacked in the face.

"That whole thing with the Utsuro truth," Aomi told Nekohiko next, velvety. With her fingers, she fished the folded document she had shown to him earlier, out of her sleeve. "You want it, yess? And no doubt you would want to help your beautiful, wonderful, gorgeous but silly boyfriend on the Trial, too. Mmm?" She shrugged, eloquent. "Iokirihime is on Morokata's side, is she not? Don't you think it's a great idea to try and get anything from her before the big day? Or should everything on the Trial be only my Eldest Brother's achievement, with you having done almost nothing for its success?

"Huh?"

...

What dirty tricks, Aomi.

Just, foul.

But he agreed once he ripped the document out of her hands. He measured her up and down with a withering stare, then nodded to the street.

"Sure. But no opera house. And no more doll shops and weapon stores. Got it? Just Iokirihime, and then -- back home and to bed. All of us. Deal?"

Luckily, it was quite late already.

So the little brat didn't even argue that much. Only for the sake of it.

 

 


***

 

 

The dressing salon of the best and most sophisticated robe-makers in Nara was called "Prosperity and Elegance". And though Iokirihime could be seen in other popular Nara spots for the young nobles and the elites, she most often spent her time here.

Most often, she was lounging on the reclining benches in the gilded and mirrory hall brimming with people in all kinds of pretty dresses and robes, posing before the mirrors. But why did Iokirihime not go to any other dressing salon? There were many in the capital, after all.

The difference was that "Prosperity and Elegance" was the only salon with no dummy or dolls advertising the clothes. None were allowed inside once the owners realized why the Queen of Towa fancied their establishment so much.

Apparently, there was nothing Iokirihime hated as much as she loathed dolls meant to look pleasing.

Nekohiko had witnessed Iokirihime in action once, long ago. When he, Morokata, and Iokirihime had invaded the Binding aspect contraband lair to save Abihiko.1Back in chapter 52, His Hands Only.

And true -- the rage Iokirihime had exposed upon seeing the place where they made dummies out of people... it was hard to explain as anything other than pure, visceral hatred.

Nothing had ever summoned as much emotion in her as seeing that building. Even during the Civil War five years ago, Nekohiko had hardly witnessed her lose her temper among all the atrocities the war had brought.

Aomi told them these rumors during their short ride down the Nara streets in a Bound carriage. Waving her fan and spewing gossip like the classiest of Nara socialites. Nekohiko almost believed she knew what she was saying.

"Iokiri just hates dolls. Especially sex dolls. But any mannequins anger her as well, which is weird with how dazed and lethargic she always seems," Aomi kept going excitedly. "I guess maybe they remind her of herself? Ha-ha-ha!"

Kasuga listened in, immersed. If before, she appeared a bit scared and nervous about the prospect of seeing the old nemesis of the Nagare family -- the Towa Queen -- in a personal setting, then now, she seemed to have calmed down.

Aomi's gossip made Iokirihime seem far less inhuman and enigmatic after they began sharing things they knew about her.

Kotone added something about Iokirihime definitely not being Spirit-attuned due to her never showing any signs of investment or engagement with the Spirit world.

Aomi scowled. "So why's she looking so intoxicated all the time?"

"Huuh?" Kotone cocked her head to the side. "Spirit-attuned people seem intoxicated to you?"

Rather than reply, Aomi pointed at Kotone, then at Nekohiko with the most obvious intent.

"Euphoric," Kasuga suggested as a euphemism.

"Euphoric sounds about right." And Kotone nodded, beaming into the streets sailing them by. "In any case, Her Majesty Iokirihime isn't Spiritual. It's just her personality quirks. From what I remember, Nekohiko was also born like this, and he wasn't at all Spirit-attuned as a child. In fact, he was rather the opposite."

The conversations drifted by -- with Nekohiko not paying them much heed. He was too busy skimming the document about the Utsuro lineages that Aomi had given him.

So far, nothing major he saw in there that he hadn't pieced together on his own.

Indeed, the Abi surname was a fake one. Indeed, the original castle of the Utsuro Lords had been at the northernmost end of the Empire, albeit called with a much nicer name compared to Shiriya's "Backside".

Not by much, since had been called the "Backbone" or the "Spine" instead. But still better!

To the conversation, Kasuga mainly nodded, not offering any points of her own. Only once did the girl say something. And even that -- so low, Nekohiko had trouble hearing.

"She seems so cold and... heartless. Even during the wedding ride we shared with her, she was so uninvolved. As though nothing ever has anything to do with her." Kasuga blinked, distraught. "I wish I could be like that, really. I wish I could... just not care nearly as much. But..."

At last, Nekohiko flipped the document closed and gave the carriage a tired look.

"Suminoe once told me that her parents had molded Iokirihime into a perfect daughter. By removing parts of her mind and emotions to make her less... disagreeable, less stubborn, less vivacious. I do not know why she hates dolls and mannequins that much, but at least her aloof demeanor is easy to explain. Not heartless. Merely hurt. No?"

...

The carriage had arrived already.

Nekohiko was the first to hop off it and usher all the others toward the shimmering entrance to an enormous building full of light and laughter. The signs spelling "Prosperity and Elegance" glowed faint-gold over the gates. From within, the flickers of mirrory lights already spilled onto the darkened street.

"She just hates being objectified and treated as a pretty thing with no mind or will of her own," Nekohiko said to the girls. "So no dolls or dummies for her. Only humans. Only people."

Kasuga's expression shifted to a sorrowful one as the girl lifted her eyes at the gilded salon, for the first time looking expectant rather than scared. She exited the carriage, pressing the Light Mirror picture tight to her chest as if preparing to enter and meet someone she very much wanted to get to know better.

Kotone, too. She hugged Nekohiko, descending from the carriage. "Aren't you sweet, Nekohiko?"

Only Aomi gave him a defiant stare.

"Then how are you going to enter the place where she is, if she hates all dolls so much, huh?"

"There is one thing Iokirihime admires more than anything she hates," he threw, turning to face the salon. He squared his shoulders and lifted his chin, ready. "Morokata. And everything he's made. Me included."

...

Which was one of the bigger reasons why Nekohiko wanted to see her tonight, all his fatigue be damned.

Her inexplicable connection to Morokata.

Always him, and nobody else.

 

Do not worry! The Trial continues in the next chapter, but before it, a brief look into one of the book's would-be antagonists up close.

Even though, technically, I do not think Iokirihime is a genuine antagonist of Neko's... She is part of the antagonist's team, but she has no beef with Neko, per se. Their opposition is merely coincidental. Simply because she is Morokata's girlfriend, ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

Which does make me wonder... does Morokata come across to anyone as straight? Somehow it intrigues me...

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