Chapter 437: Aoandon's Temporary Shikigami Contract
From the moment she transitioned from human to Youkai, through the countless years that followed, Aoandon had heard and told an immeasurable number of ghost stories. Yet, never in her long existence had she learned, heard, or witnessed more than she had within the walls of this very shop.
Aoandon gazed out the window at the quiet, ink-black night. A sense of peace settled over her. She never spun her tales during the day; her stage was always the night. This had been true when she was alive, and it remained true after she became a Youkai. There was one thing she had always hated above all else.
Daylight.
She despised the sun's arrival, for as soon as the first rays of dawn pierced the darkness, the captivated audience who listened to her stories and the fellow raconteurs who shared their own would inevitably disperse. For this reason, she loathed the daytime with an absolute passion.
Today, however, Aoandon could swear she had never feared the coming of the dawn with such intensity. A short while ago, while Kasugano Sora and the others were searching for things upstairs, Lady Yukari had posed a few casual questions.
She had asked about the restaurant's opening and closing hours. When Aoandon learned that the shop would close for the day, a cold dread washed over her. (Lady Yukari had conveniently omitted the details about the world connection.)
As the one observing Aoandon with the keenest interest, Lady Yukari naturally noticed her subordinate's occasional, disappointed glances toward the window. As the Sage of Youkai, she understood her kind intimately and was well-acquainted with the legends surrounding the blue lantern. It took her no effort to guess the source of Aoandon's distress.
"Aoandon," Yukari's voice was a silken murmur. "You seem a bit downcast~"
Startled, Aoandon turned to face her, then gave an honest, slow nod. A knowing smile played on Yukari's lips. "Let me guess," she said, her tone light and playful. "You're disgusted by the thought of morning's arrival, aren't you?"
"Lady Yukari, how did you know...? Oh, of course... you must be familiar with the stories about me, aren't you? Yes. I hate the coming of the day..."
Yukari's eyes glinted. "Oh? Is that so? It seems my little guess hit the mark. But I've always been curious. As Aoandon, what actually happens to you when you see the sun?"
Puzzled by the question, Aoandon replied, "Nothing at all. I am not a vampire, nor am I some fragile, lesser Youkai."
Yukari's smile widened. "In that case, why not take a look at another world? You aren't afraid of the sun, after all."
Hearing this, Yuuka Kazami, who had been quietly enjoying her tea, paused. Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly, though she said nothing. She knew her old acquaintance was hatching some new scheme.
Ren, for his part, remained a silent observer, simply sitting and watching the scene unfold.
Aoandon, however, was taken aback, her interest piqued. "Another world?" she asked, her voice laced with confusion. "Besides Lady Yukari's world and Shopkeeper Ren's, there are others?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Yukari purred. "That Miss Potts from earlier was from another world, was she not? Isn't that right, Shopkeeper Ren?"
Ren gave a simple nod. "That's right."
Though curious about her new surroundings, Aoandon was no fool. She sensed that Lady Yukari was leading her somewhere. "Lady Yukari..." she began tentatively, "what... what is it you wish to say?"
Yukari snapped open her fan, partially obscuring her coy smile. "I have no grand designs. I simply think that if you wish to visit another world, you could choose to return with me. But, if you do, you'll have to listen to my arrangements."
Aoandon was stunned into silence.
Yuuka Kazami took a delicate sip of her flower tea. "Aoandon," she said softly, her voice cutting through the tension, "Ren's shop can connect to countless other worlds. You can think of it as the central knot in a vast net, where infinite threads converge. That is all."
Yukari shot a subtle, sidelong glance at Yuuka. After a long moment, the corners of her lips curled into a genuine smile.
Aoandon mulled this over before turning her gaze to the shopkeeper. "Shopkeeper Ren, I wish to know what would happen if I failed to return to my own world before closing time. Would I be... killed, or...?"
Ren chuckled. "It's not nearly so dramatic. This is just an ordinary restaurant. When it closes, it truly closes. It simply means the door back to your home closes, and you won't be able to return on your own. However, there are ways to travel back and forth, even during the day."
This statement made Aoandon, Yuuka, and even Yukari pause. After Ren explained the specifics of the world connection system, Aoandon nodded in understanding. Yukari said nothing; she had a general idea, but the finer details were new to her. Not that it changed her plans in the slightest.
"So," Aoandon mused aloud, "if I don't wish to connect my world, does that mean I can only return at night?"
Ren nodded.
Aoandon considered this carefully for a moment, then shook her head. "As I thought, I still cannot connect my world..."
No one questioned her decision. But Yukari, ever playful, couldn't resist asking, "And why not, Aoandon?"
"Because my world still has my friends," Aoandon said softly, her voice firm. "And many other Youkai, Youkai Kings, humans, Onmyoji... countless other beings. I alone cannot represent them all. I do not know if connecting our worlds would bring disaster, so I cannot take that risk. Besides, it's not as if I can never come here again or never return home. There is no need..."
Yukari nodded, finding Aoandon's reasoning largely aligned with her own expectations. Ren also remained silent; it was, after all, the customer's choice to make.
Suddenly, Aoandon looked directly at Ren.
Yukari let out a soft, almost inaudible sigh, casting a faintly resentful glance at Yuuka, who expertly pretended not to notice.
Aoandon hesitated, then finally spoke, her voice quiet but resolute. "Shopkeeper Ren, while I cannot represent my world, I can represent myself. Your shop is an intersection of worlds, and I... I want to meet more guests from these other places."
Her eyes held a deep, earnest longing. "Whether they are humans, gods, or other Youkai, I want to know more stories that I have never heard. Not just ghost stories... even their ordinary, everyday experiences..."
Ren tilted his head. "So, you can come every night."
Aoandon shook her head. "Shopkeeper Ren, you know I hate the daytime. When the day comes, the storytellers and their audience scatter. So I want... I want to be here during the day as well."
She quickly added, "Of course, I won't be here all the time. I'll leave at night... No... what I mean is, I won't be here every single day... Is that alright?"
Ren nodded easily. "No problem. Why are you asking as if it's some monumental request? It's a small matter. I have a girl named Jinx who does it all the time."
A brilliant light entered Aoandon's eyes, and a rare, genuine smile graced her features. "Thank you very much! But I cannot simply impose on your hospitality..."
"No, you don't have to... what's this for?"
Just as Ren was about to dismiss her concern, he saw Aoandon conjure a slip of pure white paper from thin air. A complex, esoteric symbol bloomed across its surface in ink-black strokes. She traced the character with a slender finger, and the paper began to float slowly toward Ren.
"Shopkeeper Ren," she said softly, "please write your name."
Ren was startled but complied, feeling perfectly safe within the confines of his shop. The moment his name was written, he felt a faint, ethereal thread seem to form between them—a subtle link of spirit and promise.
Aoandon smiled. "This is a temporary Shikigami contract. With it, I can protect you, Shopkeeper Ren. However, you cannot order me to do anything too outrageous. I retain my own will and consciousness."
Yukari sighed dramatically. "So you've essentially signed a bodyguard contract."
"Yes," Aoandon confirmed with a nod. "And not only that. With this contract, even though it is temporary, most Youkai will not be able to approach you with ill intent. Both Shopkeeper Ren and I can unilaterally terminate this agreement at any time."
Ren let out a sigh of his own. "I'm starting to feel like the protagonist of some strange collection game... Lucifer's pact, Pandora's box, Cerberus's collar, Yumiko's favor, and now Aoandon's contract... I wonder if there's a prize for collecting them all."
Lucifer playfully slapped his arm. "They're all absolute beauties. Oh, stop pretending you're not secretly enjoying yourself~"
'But still,'Ren thought, a wry smile touching his lips,'their personalities really are all so different...'
[Akarin's Note:
Enjoying the story? Dropping a quick review, comment, or Power Stone means the world to me and keeps these daily updates flowing!
Want to read 50 chapters ahead or just want to help keep a shameless translator alive? (My livelihood actually depends on this, haha 😭). You can support me directly here:
(P.S. Just remove the brackets and replace the [.] with a regular dot . to use the links!)
✨ Patreon (50 Advanced Chapters): patreon[.]com/AkarinTL
☕ Ko-fi (Support / Sponsor): ko-fi[.]com/AkarinTL
🔗 All My Links: linktr[.]ee/AkarinTL
Thank you so much for reading and keeping this project alive!]