Harue slid the classroom door shut and clicked the latch into place.

  “Hopefully, we can avoid being disturbed—for a little while at least,” she said.

  “You threw your phone out the window!” Suki exclaimed with shock. “Who does that?”

  “He’ll be fine. It won’t take him long to make his own way back, but he’ll be out of earshot for a bit.”

  Mitsue looked out the window. “You hinted that your Eldest sister used your phone to spy on you,” he said.

  “She has other ways, but this will at least make it difficult. I have some other measures in place, but…” Harue shrugged. “This is as good as we’re going to get.”

  “So does this mean you’re going to tell us what this is all about?” James challenged.

  “Yeah…” Harue said, looking around at the other four. “Where to start… James and Suki, would you say your relationship is monogamous?”

  “Yes,” James said, only a beat behind Suki. They looked at each other and smiled.

  Harue was having none of it. She shifted into an uncannily accurate duplicate of Suki, right down to her school uniform.

  “How long do you think that will last in a temple full of foxes that do nothing but ensnare, entrap and seduce the unwary?” she asked in Suki’s voice. “Are you going to feel the same way about her when you see her take on two big, black US Navy servicemen?”

  “Suki wouldn’t—I’d know that it wasn’t her!” James protested.

  “Would you?” the real Suki said, with Harue’s voice. James whipped his head around to look at her, and then back to Harue, who still looked like Suki. She was staring in shock at the other Suki, who was…

  “We’re tricksters, James.” She was back to talking with Suki’s voice, but her words weren’t anything that Suki would say. “You think we can’t fool you?”

  “That’s not—” James tried not to believe what he was seeing. “That wasn’t Suki, he knew it wasn’t. He forced himself to see…

  It felt like his eyeballs had been turned into glass and then shattered, but the illusion disappeared. Harue was Harue, and Suki was Suki again.

  “Not bad, but I was hardly trying,” Harue taunted. “And who’s to say that it won’t be real in the first place?”

  “Suki would never—”

  “Oh, she’ll be even easier than you,” Harue promised. She turned into a wizened old man.

  “On your back, girl, and prepare to receive the Yomiuri Giants,” the old man sneered.

  Suki screamed.

  “No! You’re not! Not my master!”

  She clutched her head and dropped to the floor. Still on her feet, but curled up into a ball, she rocked back and forth, muttering to herself.

  “Not him. Not him. Not him.”

  Everyone stared as she got herself under control. When she managed it, she glared up at Harue, who had changed back.

  “I gave you that image to help me,” Suki spat. “Not to mess with me to prove a point!”

  “This is helping you,” Harue shot back. “Kuzahana Kaede-sama knows everything I know, do you understand! And she’s a thousand times better at illusions than I am!”

  “That image was… shared privately. Your phone wouldn’t—”

  “Do you think that Kuzahana Kaede-sama hasn’t met Old Man Kotodama?” Harue shouted.

  Mitsue stepped in between them. “That’s enough. What are you trying to achieve here, Harue?”

  James knelt down to comfort his girlfriend. “He’s not here,” he said. “He can’t hurt you.”

  “I’m trying to convey the gravity of your situation,” Harue said, calming down only slightly.

  “Well, uh, James and Suki’s relationship aside, it doesn’t sound that bad?” Mitsue blushed, but pressed on. “It could be an… educational experience for me.”

  “Don’t you have a girlfriend already?” Harue asked wryly.

  “Yes, but we haven’t—I mean, Sundhara-san might appreciate a more experienced… partner,” Mitsue stammered.

  “Wow, you’re the worst,” Suki said. She leaned into James’s embrace, almost over her panic attack.

  Harue sighed. “I know I mentioned the bit where we suck out your Qi. I’m pretty sure I mentioned how the sex is so addictive that even when you know it’s killing you, you keep coming back to beg for more.”

  Mitsue opened his mouth, but he didn’t say anything. He looked torn between lust and the desire to live.

  “I’m sure I will be fine, at least,” Kana declared.

  “Eh, probably,” Harue said. She raised her hand palm down and wobbled it back and forth. “There are stories of how Eldest Sister kept a dragon as a pet. But Kana’s probably okay because of who her parents are.”

  “Who are her parents?” James asked.

  “They’re important, and that’s all you need to know right now. Unless you were thinking of taking up a career in spirit politics?”

  “I guess not,” James grumbled. Suki was able to stand now, so he rose with her, still hugging her.

  “But wait,” Mitsue put in. He still looked torn. “Didn’t you say that your sisters avoided going to such lengths? That they didn’t need to drink from humans? And when they did, they only took small bites?”

  “Normally, yeah,” Harue agreed. “That’s how it goes with the locals who should know better and the tourists who will be missed. But you guys are anything but normal. You’ve been summoned, by Kuzahana Kaede-sama herself. She has something special in mind for you, and I really doubt it’s good.”

  “But why? Is she allied with the Black Dragons?” James asked.

  “Not as far as I know,” Harue mused, “But! I wouldn’t know if she was, so don’t take that as gospel. As for why, for fun, of course!”

  “For fun?”

  “What wouldn’t foxes do for fun!” Harue cried. “Tear down careers, tear relationships apart, tear away people’s lives… It’s all fun!”

  She gave James a sympathetic look. “You have to understand, we’re not human. We’re kitsune. Humanity is our plaything, to be teased, tormented and terrified. This is just the natural order of things.”

  “Then why are you so upset?” Suki asked. She pulled away from James to step closer to Harue. “Why are you warning us, when this is all fair play and no more than humans deserve?”

  Harue froze, her mouth moved, but no sounds came out. Suki pushed her attack.

  “Is it different when it happens to humans you care about?”

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  Harue scowled and turned aside from Suki’s gaze.

  “They never let me keep my toys,” she said. “Every time I found a—someone to play with, my sisters broke them.”

  “And you think this is what’s happening now?” Mitsue asked. “We’re to be broken, because we’re friends with you?”

  “There might be another reason,” Harue said with a shrug. “Eldest Sister always did like to kill two birds with one stone.”

  “So what do we do?” James asked. “You say that bad things will happen if we go, what happens if we don’t go? How is that going to be worse?”

  “It will definitely be worse for me!” Harue said with alarm. “If I don’t follow Eldest Sister’s instructions and bring you, I’ll be in a lot of trouble!”

  James looked pointedly at the window. Harue giggled.

  “A childish tantrum,” she explained. “I’ll be disciplined, sure, but Eldest Sister never said I have to keep it with me all the time. She did tell me to bring you. The punishment will be way worse.”

  “I’m struggling to see why I should care about that,” James said sourly. Harue pouted.

  “Well, for you guys, Kuzahana Kaede-sama isn’t the sort to give people options. She’ll have something prepared for the possibility of you changing your mind.”

  “Like what?” Mitsue asked.

  “Hmmm… maybe she’ll poison your parents? That’s a classic.”

  “My parents are in America,” James said.

  Harue threw up her hands. “We have international dialling now, James! We can hire assassins wherever we need to! Or maybe she’ll just have Saia-nee kidnap you.”

  “Nanamori-sensei?” Mitsue asked. “But didn’t she say that she’d broken with the temple?”

  Harue rolled her eyes. “What on Earth made you think you could trust what a fox says?” she exclaimed.

  “You?” Mitsue suggested. “You’re a fox, and you always seemed fine with Nanamori-sensei! You got her to help us!”

  “Well, sure, she’s my capable Aunt, and I’m her adorable niece. What does that have to do with trusting anybody?”

  James threw up his hands. “Then why should we trust you now?” he demanded.

  “You shouldn’t,” Harue said soberly. “But you don’t have a choice.”

  “Only if we believe you about any of this,” Mitsue said shrewdly. “It could be perfectly safe to visit your temple, or we could avoid going there and still be safe.”

  “Now you’re starting to get it,” Harue said approvingly. “But do you think you will? Be safe, I mean.”

  “I don’t,” Mitsue admitted. He stared at Harue, trying to read her expression. Then he looked away and swore.

  “Why do I even listen to you?”

  “Because I’m adorable!” Harue said brightly. “And, I know stuff that you need to know.”

  “What good is that, if we can’t believe it?”

  “Some of it is always true,” Harue told him. “Just enough that you can never be sure if we’re lying.”

  Mitsue growled deep in his throat. “The most prudent course is to assume the danger is real,” he ground out. “But what do we do about it?”

  Harue grimaced. “I can’t go against Eldest Sister, guys,” she said. “Not only would I get in trouble, but she’s older, faster, smarter and more powerful. Nothing I could try would work.”

  “Then—” James said, but Harue wasn’t done.

  “But there is something I can do,” she said. “I just… don’t want to do it.”

  “The hell?” James exploded. “Do we have to bribe you to do whatever it is? Are you—”

  “James, wait,” Suki said, putting her hand on his arm. “Harue… do you want us to ask you… as your friends?”

  Harue looked down and rubbed her foot on the floor.

  “Maaaaybeee…” she said, looking up at Suki through lowered eyes. Suki sighed.

  “Harue, please. We need your help.”

  “Well, why didn’t you say so!” Harue said brightly, jumping up a little. Then her face fell.

  “Oh, but there is one more condition,” she said. “I need you to do exactly what I say and not ask questions. Especially Kana.”

  “That will hardly be a problem,” Kana scoffed. “I am excellent at following directions.”

  “It involves kneeling,” Harue said.

  “Death first,” Kana said immediately. “Yours, by preference.”

  “I’m not kidding around here!” Harue exclaimed. “If you don’t want to participate, then… You might be fine. But I’d feel better if you had the same protection as all of us… as your friend.”

  “There’s that word again,” Kana snorted. “But why would I be required to kneel? You don’t know any dragons…”

  “No questions!” Harue declared. “Are you in or out?”

  “In, I suppose.”

  “Great!” Harue looked at the others. James and Mitsue nodded reluctantly. Suki hesitated.

  “Are we just going to go and see Hatakiyama-sensei?” she asked. “We talk to him all the time.”

  “No questions!” Harue scolded. “But no, we need more help than a teacher can provide. Help me clear a space.”

  They all helped her drag the desks and chairs to the side, clearing a space in the middle. Harue dragged some of the desks forward, carefully placing them according to some design that only she knew. Then she made some thin cotton mats appear on the floor.

  “Take your positions, please,” she said. “Full dogeza.” At some point, she’d changed into her full kitsune form. In addition to her shrine maiden costume, she was carrying a staff covered in bells, which looked vaguely religious to James.

  “Are these going to provide any cushioning?” James asked. “They’re just illusions, aren’t they?”

  “No questions! You can kneel on the floor if you prefer. I just thought I’d save your American knees.”

  James scowled, but assumed his position. The mat did feel real, at least. He’d never actually tried to go into dogeza, the kneeling position the Japanese used for really sincere apologies. Harue had to correct a few mistakes and adjust his position. Finally, she was satisfied.

  “Stay there for the rest of the ritual,” she said. She must have started moving her staff, because the bells began to ring. Each one rang at a slightly different time, producing a silver shimmering sound that cut right through James. It felt like he was hearing it in his bones.

  “Don’t say anything,” Harue continued. “You’re just here as beneficiaries. Let me do the talking.”

  The bells continued to ring. The floor in front of James face changed, going from tough bamboo parquetry to wide cedar boards with a rich grain, polished to a high sheen. James could smell the cedar and the wax that covered them. They were so tightly fitted that he couldn’t see the joints.

  “If you do get asked to rise, go into seiza. Your knees do not leave the floor at any point. Show respect and keep your head down.”

  The light changed. The perfectly even light from the overhead LED was replaced by the flickering light of what must have been candles or lantern light. The orange light from the setting sun was gone. The bells were still ringing.

  James could smell incense, rich and intoxicating.

  It might not have been advisable, but James found he could turn his head and look to the side without raising his forehead. The desks and chairs—the classroom was gone. The bare walls had been replaced by mahogany wood panelling. The classroom door had been replaced by a sliding shoji screen.

  The door slid open, noiselessly.

  Someone stepped through.

  He was… so many things.

  He was a ferocious warrior, standing a hundred feet tall. Clad in traditional samurai armour, he dragged behind him the smell of blood and smoke. He was a poor wandering ronin, dressed in a simple, dirty robe and an amigasa hat. He was a stunningly handsome lord, lounging at ease while doted on by a cotiere of lightly-dressed women.

  He had a thousand faces, a thousand names. Somewhere in there, James saw the man he knew as Hatakiyama Kiamori. But there were so many others, enough to make James head spin. They weren’t past lives, they weren’t alternate identities, they were all true at the same time.

  He was a soldier, a farmer, a builder, a merchant, a wastrel, a teacher… he was all those and more. For a brief, shining moment, James understood what a god was—and then he lost it. It slipped through his metaphorical fingers like water, leaving only droplets behind.

  The god spoke, and it wasn’t like anything James had heard before. It wasn’t anything he could describe. It was a thousand voices shouting, but it was quiet, something he heard whispered into his soul.

  “Haru-chan, this really wasn’t necessary.”

  And then Harue jumped up on the god, clinging to his armour, or his robes or his bare flesh and crying.

  “Papa! Papa! She’s going to ruin everything!”

  If James hadn’t been prostrate on the ground, he would have fallen.

  What is going on here? he asked himself. He couldn’t find an answer. Harue’s instructions barely stopped him from getting up and demanding answers.

  Although he would have a hard time demanding anything in the face of that.

  He wasn’t looking, but he somehow knew that Harue was sitting on Hachiman’s lap. The god was patting her on the head, comforting her, as she explained their problem.

  “So, Eldest Sister won’t be able to do anything if you step in,” Harue explained.

  “Now, Haru-chan, you know my rules about interference,” Hachiman said.

  “But this is important!” Harue said, as if she weren’t talking to a being that transcended existence.

  “Well, perhaps just this once,” Hachiman said.

  “Yay! Thank you, Papa!”

  James felt the weight of the god’s gaze as if it were a physical thing. He didn’t look back; he kept looking at the floor, but a force pressed him to the ground, moving through his body, evaluating him even as it exerted itself.

  Slowly, his body responded, but not in any reasonable way. Instead, he started to glow with a golden light. It was tinged green at first, but it quickly faded to become pure gold, getting brighter and brighter.

  Just as the reflected light from the floor was getting too bright for his eyes, it blinked out.

  “That should do,” Hachiman said. There was… a moment, and then James was staring at the original classroom floor. All the changes had reverted. Even the mats had gone.

  Cautiously, he raised his head. The others were doing the same. Harue was sitting on a desk, looking smug. She was still in her shrine maiden getup.

  “We’re all good now,” Harue said. “Eldest Sister wouldn’t dare set herself against that blessing.”

  “Did you—” Suki said slowly before Harue cut her off.

  “No questions, remember!”

  “You definitely called him ‘Papa’. That wasn’t a question,” Mitsue said in response to Harue’s glare.

  “Guys, guys,” Harue said. She raised her arms, drawing attention to the long, wide sleeves of her miko outfit. “I’m a shrine maiden. It’s my job to intervene with the gods on behalf of mortals.”

  “Midoriko-senpai is a shrine maiden, and I don’t think she calls her god Daddy,” Mitsue said. “Nor is she pledged to marry him.”

  “What can I say? Her Hachiman-sama got sealed by her own uncle, while my Hachiman-sama is making it rain blessings. One of us is getting the job done.”

  “Are they the same Hachiman-sama?” James asked. The honorific came more easily now. “I remember…”

  “They are, and they aren’t,” Harue said with a shrug. “Don’t think about it too much. Or at all, really, it will just make your head hurt.”

  “Wait, what was that bit about Midorko’s uncle?” Mitsue asked.

  “Oh, yeah, I did some investigation, and it turns out he’s working for the Black Dragons,” Harue said. “No big deal, Midoriko is taking care of it.”