Kyoto.
- "That bastard..." I snarled and hissed, emptying another cup of coffee, which I had stopped counting after the thirtieth. "But it's okay, I'll get you... I'll personally shove a full released Excalibur into every hole in your body and blow you to hell... Yes... You'll regret you ever did this... Ha... Ha-ha... Ha-ha-ha... HAHAHAHAHAHAHA..."
- "I-I'm sorry, h-honorable visitor..." A frightened female voice suddenly rang out near my table.
- "Huh?" I turned sharply toward the source with a frozen, maniacal smile, causing the bakeneko working there to jump up, let out a terrified squeal, and tuck her tail and ears between her legs. "Do you need something, Kana-san? I'm a little busy right now, if you haven't noticed."
- "N-no! I-I don't need anything! I'm sorry to bother you!" She quickly shook her head and disappeared in the blink of an eye. And it was at that moment that I noticed one small detail...
Nurarihyon's establishment, where I was sitting at the farthest table, was completely empty. Only the cook, the bakeneko, who was now hiding behind the counter and peeking out cautiously, and I remained. At that moment, I looked at myself and realized why all this had happened.
I was surrounded not just by miasma... oh no... It was pure, pitch-black, all-consuming darkness that even the devil himself would envy. The mirror I had created showed me my own expression, which no one, not even me, could call human.
I took a few deep breaths and began to calm down little by little, although it was difficult, and my aura gradually dissipated.
- "I apologize for this, I will compensate you for the damage," I said to the staff. "And please call the owner. I will apologize to him personally."
- "O-okay," Bakeneko cautiously emerged. "We will contact Nurarihyon-sama."
- "Thank you," I said and looked at the huge pile of empty coffee cups, then cleared them away and created a large pile of money in front of the chef as compensation, placing a small order and thinking about the situation that had upset me.
So, Goetia had acted wisely. That bastard knew about my situation and took full advantage of it. In other words, in his revenge, he had involved the entire Underworld, which I was physically unable to counteract.
Large-scale memory erasure, Noble Phantasm, or something similar simply didn't work, because the next arc of the story affected all the inhabitants of the Underworld in one way or another. And although I had some freedom of action, such a feat was impossible.
I clicked my tongue and, unable to restrain myself, created another cup of coffee.
At the moment, the entrance to the Underworld is closed to me, unless, of course, I want to feel Goetia's revenge. The funny thing is that this clumsy brat chose not violence, but something more subtle and... extremely irritating to me. Therefore, the most effective plan would be to wait without revealing my location. And Kyoto fit that criteria perfectly.
Yasaka wouldn't mind if I stayed with her for a while, right?
With these thoughts in mind, my order of meat and a couple of salads was brought to me, and just as I was about to start eating, a familiar figure appeared at the entrance.
- "You sure know how to cause trouble, Romani," Nurarihyon shook his head as he walked inside and sat down across from me.
- "Well, it wasn't intentional," I sighed and conjured a bottle of sake in front of him. "Sorry about that, old man."
- "I figured as much when Kana-chan contacted me. You know yokai are sensitive to emotions, don't you?" said Nurarihyon with a smile as he took a sip. "I don't know how long my customers will avoid this place."
- "Once again, I'm sorry about that," I shrugged. "You got here too fast."
- "A few things here and there," he waved it off and looked at me with interest. "Well, tell me. What exactly affected you? I bet the consequences of your actions caught up with you, didn't they?"
- "Oh? Surprisingly accurate," I smiled. "Luck or experience?"
- "Experience. I've been through something similar myself," Nurarihyon replied. "Don't you want to share the details with an old man? Considering your power and influence, something really worthwhile must have happened."
- "This time? Nah. That's my business."
- "As you wish," he said, not pressing me. "In any case, thank you for helping them. Your medicine really worked just as Kuroka said it would."
- "I'd be surprised if it didn't work, since I created it," I shrugged, then grinned. "By the way, how's Ama-chan? I hope the guests I sent her were to her liking?"
- "You can ask her yourself," Nurarihyon chuckled, and at that moment, I sensed signatures rapidly approaching us. A few seconds later, the door to the establishment was practically knocked off its hinges, and an annoyed and clearly angry Ama-chan appeared in the doorway.
- "Romani! You're finally here, you bastard!" she roared, clenching her fists and stomping her feet loudly like a teenager. "This isn't what we agreed on!"
- "Oh?" I smiled sweetly. "What are you talking about, Ama-chan? You asked for servants, and I provided them. Everything is exactly as we agreed."
- "Don't play dumb! You know perfectly well what I'm talking about..."
- "Long time no see, Master," a woman's voice came from behind Ama-chan, and a tall woman entered the room. "What brings you to my land?"
- "This isn't your land, it's mine!" Ama-chan exclaimed, pointing her finger at the woman. "Get out of here, Big Fool of Owari!"
- "The devil will be glad to see me, for he serves me, goddess," the woman grinned, causing Ama-chan to click her tongue loudly and me to giggle. "As will all of Japan. Ha-ha-ha."
Yeah, right. The first Servant was Oda Nobunaga, and in the Avenger version and the latest Ascension, she had long red hair, eyes of the same color, and pale skin. She was dressed in a full black suit with gold accents and her family crest on her chest, and a long scarlet cloak, with a long black katana fastened to her belt.
- "Go do something else! You're just in the way!" Ama-chan said indignantly.
- "I am the Demon King of the Sixth Heaven, and it is my duty to interfere with every god, Buddha, and mortal," Nobunaga replied. "Didn't I tell you that when I destroyed the neighborhood?"
- "See what I mean, Romani?!" Ama-chan gritted her teeth, looking at me. "She doesn't listen to me or even respect me!"
- "That's terrible," I chuckled. "What about the second Servant?"
- "That..." Ama-chan began, but was interrupted.
- "Master! You finally came to visit us!" The second Servant practically flew into the establishment, then hugged me, and when everyone's gaze turned to him, I laughed, Nurarihyon smiled, as did Nobunaga, and steam poured out of Ama-chan's head.
- "Damn cat!" Ama-chan yelled, pointing at the Servant. "What the hell are my documents doing in your mouth?! Spit them out, now!"
The second Servant was Tamamo Cat, a Berserker-class Servant, one of the facets of the original Tamamo-no-Mae and Ama-chan herself. She was dressed in a short red kimono with bare shoulders and had pink hair, golden eyes, fox ears, one tail, and paws instead of hands and feet.
- "Now, now, Tamamo," I began, stroking her head as the Berserker fawned over me. "Someone's talking to you."
- "Huh?" Tamamo asked, confused.
- "My documents! Spit them out, now!" Ama-chan repeated.
- "Who needs those documents?" Nobunaga said dismissively. "You can just order your subordinates to take care of them or use force."
- "That's why you were killed, Oda Nobunaga!" the goddess declared and, stomping loudly, approached us. "The documents! Now!"
Tamamo looked at Ama-chan with a confused expression and tilted her head to one side, then, clearly remembering the paper in her mouth, spat it out onto the floor. Of course, every document was practically torn to shreds, had holes in it, and was wet from the Servant's saliva.
- "Oh, I forgot about them," Tamamo said thoughtfully. "Yasaka-chan asked me to give them to you, Amaterasu-sama. I think she said something about money and reports... I don't remember the rest."
- "Damn it!" Ama-chan shouted at the top of her lungs, and her body began to radiate heat under the influence of her emotions.
Seeing this scene, I couldn't help but smile, and my mood improved considerably. However, the pressing issue hadn't gone away, and I needed a place to wait out the storm. A place where no one could find me unless I wanted them to.
I sighed wearily and thought hard.
- "Where should I go?"
As soon as I uttered these words, a very familiar and, most importantly, extremely annoying voice sounded right next to me.
- "I think I can help you, colleague. I have a few options."
I didn't even turn my head, because I knew exactly who had sat down next to me.
Damn, you're so timely and untimely at the same time, Zelretch...
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