Blossom of Bodhisattva (Touhou)

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-fCUsSNkOw&ab_channel=Diremagic
[The Fox in Town]

Commissioned by @Dragontrapper

Ayumu is a character from my previous Touhou quest. A Fox in Paradise.

—

It was a small, but pleasant shop. Nestled in the corner of the Human Village. There was little to differentiate it from the rest, with woodframe construction, rice-paper walls, and little in the way of vanity. There was nothing that would mark it as a place of any importance, and, in truth. It wasn't important. But that, Myouren felt, was exactly as the owner wished for it to be. The door opened with the soft chime of bells, and Myouren walked into the interior. At once, the scent of the human village was replaced by that of… herbs the priest couldn't immediately identify. The room was a simple thing, small, with little more than a desk, and a nearby table. Both were aged, worn with marks and cuts in such a way that the monk could appreciate.

That was it, barring a simple sign that was placed against the wall. Like the desk and table it was worn and aged, and bore just a single word. "Akiya's."

Behind the desk, was the only thing immediately notable besides the furniture, a man, young by appearance if not by nature. With short black hair, golden eyes, and a rather easy going smile on his face as he watched Myouren enter. He was dressed in rather out of place finery compared to the rest of the village, not that of a noble, but that of a modern man, a black two piece suit that had no sign of dust, dirt, or any other disfigurement, a far cry from what the rest of the humans around wore.

"Good morning Ayumu," Myouren says warmly.

The man simply stared at the monk for a few moments, saying nothing, expressing less. "I don't believe I have the pleasure?"

"Myouren Hijiri," the monk offers.

"Ah," Ayumu replies. "That would explain the hair. Tea?"

Myouren shakes his head. "No, but thank you for the offer. I understand that this is a… take-all-comers shop? I'm afraid I don't quite understand what you mean by that."

In truth, Myouren was curious as to why a youkai was setup in the human village, and curious as to why he was tolerated. As his 'nature' was apparently widely known by those around. The village had little tolerance for youkai, and as a monk, it was his duty to see that he was not a threat.

Perhaps it was not the task he had been assigned, but it was one he still performed regardless.

The man behind the desk smiled, it was a simple smile, deliberately so. "It is as it is stated, I accept anyone who walks in, provided they can provide payment or give me a good enough reason not to accept payment. From there, I simply do whatever it is that is required."

"The last I spoke to mentioned you negotiating the return of some family heirlooms that had been seized by Kappa. I don't suppose you harmed anyone?" Myouren asks.

"I tend to avoid fights, despite Gensokyo's inclinations otherwise," Ayumu replies. "A farmer offered his daughter to the Kappa in order to have a new irrigation system installed, he balked once they finished, so they took something of equal value." The man smiled, slightly cruelly. "The Kappa of this place have no desire for what they were previously infamous. They do not leave corpses behind, but the destitute. I merely negotiated."

"And the fact the daughter is now missing?" Myouren says, not quite accusing, not quite asking.

"Eloped, actually. She found herself fancying an oni of all things." Ayumu says, shrugging his shoulders. "I traded the Kappa information I had gleamed from the goblins, who in payment gave me the heirlooms. I then returned those to the farmer, who then accused me of absconding with his daughter so that he didn't have to pay me." Ayumu's expression then falls flat. "So I simply left."

"And the fact the man is screaming and howling in the local jail?" Myouren asks.

The smile returns, wider,, and for a moment, the sunlight pouring into the room is a touch less bright. "He saw himself surrounded by those who plotted his ruin, or at least, he believed he did. I merely… aided him in his visions. The illusions shall wear off in…" the man lifts a wrist to look at a strange device attached to it. "Six days."

Myouren stares at the Kitsune across from him, saying nothing for several moments. "I would like to hire your services."

Ayumu stares back, then, slowly, leans over the desk to rest his elbows upon it, his face neutral once more. "Oh? In what manner?"

"I believe my sister has been sleeping around, I would desire to know with whom."

The smile returned, and distantly, Byakuren shivered.

She did not know why.