On Astral Tides: From Humble Freelancer To Astral Emperor

Two Hundred And Fifty-Seven

After spending the evening with Natsumi and her parents, including a rather interesting time seeing how some of the cloth and dyes were made in the traditional manner, even having a go myself, which earned lavish praise from her parents, as with my stats it was easy to pick up and operate the complicated, historic machinery, I finally said my farewells, returning to Shirohebizumi shrine by provided car.

Once there, I had many more demands on my time, as there was a lot to prepare before Conclave. I had a meeting with Kana’s father and grandfather, who advised me that Hikawa-san had organised all our shrine attendees for the Conclave. That included Chairoakitara shrine, back home, and Marika-san would be happy to see her grandfather again, and surprisingly enough, her mother, who was taking time off work to visit Kyoto. The only exception was Hisuikomushi shrine, which was Amaterasu faction, so it was problematic for Hikawa-san to interfere, politically.

Even so, we had a productive discussion, and while I would be bearing the cost of transportation, we would be taking the shinkansen from central Tokyo to Kyoto, at just over two hours. As for getting to Tokyo, Hinata was arranging transportation for everyone, and would be bringing Eri, Aiko and our families to Tokyo beforehand via helicopter again, which my sis was really happy about, having seemingly developed a great liking for helicopter travel.

With that done, I said my farewells and headed back for my home, only to run into Ixitt, who was back on the Material. When he saw me, his human face brightened, and he hurried over, bundles of what looked like schematic papers or blueprints in his arms. “It is good to see you!” he enthused. “The princess has been missing you terribly, though all is well in your absence. However…”

“However…?”

“Well, I have hit a wall in my research, so I decided to return to the mortal realm. There is so much that is fascinating here.” he gushed, launching into a long spiel about computers, the internet, bookstores and more. “… and your secretary, this Karen, she is most helpful.”

“I hope you aren’t causing her trouble. She’s got a lot on her plate at the moment.” I warned, and it was true. What with dealing with all of the administration regarding the new Ministry and my role in it, as well as my own projects, keeping on top of the hotels, her own training… sure, Haru-san was helping out, in her new role, but even so, Karen-chan was doing overtime, despite my promises to the contrary. At least I‘m paying her fairly for it, I guess…

Reminding myself I needed to drop her in another few bottles of good booze as thanks, I listened more to Ixitt.

“No, of course not. I have a fair handle on how the mortal world operates now.” he grinned. “And since I was able to gain a few more of these levels in the expansion of your Territory while you have been absent…” his grin broadened. “… the prince has been most eager to expand your reach, if only to stay away from his elder sister, I believe. You will be very impressed on your return. But that is another topic. No, now my thoughts are clearer and my memory better, it was trivial to master the internet and your… Japanese… customs. Though I fear I have spent rather a sum of money.”

“Well, money I have.” I said, knowing investing in Ixitt was a wise move. But something he had said worried me. “So… Ixitt, have you been going out by yourself?”

“Of course.” He laughed, and I imagined if he was in his ratkin form his tail would be lashing happily. “It was not my first time, I was escorted before. So I remember. And a great Mortal Engineer, no… a great scientist…” he seemed to relish the word. “… has no problems learning by observation. The stores of Akihabara are a treasure-trove of parts and pieces. I have made several of what you call personal computers now.”

Thank god he was there for the electronics. If Ixitt became interested in anime and manga, that’d be … disturbing. “Yeah, but buying one off-the-shelf is probably easier.”

“Indeed, but if I do not have hands-on experience, how can I understand how everything works? So clever. Electronics, machinery, robotics. The Fae has none of these, though the Unseelie sometimes use the dead, possessed by mindless spirits, in a similar way… what wonders could we achieve, if we blended together our arts and mortal science? True Mortal Engineering. To that end…”

“Let’s talk inside.” I sighed, seeing as he wasn’t going to let up. Once in, we were seated round a table, a bottle of whiskey opened, several blueprints spread out, empty glasses holding down the corners. “So, just what is this?” I asked, though from what I could see, it seemed to be a schematic of sorts for some sort of Building. The Boundary kind of building.

“It is as you surmise.” He chortled. “Using a computer and these CAD programs, it does make it far easier to draft designs, without so much waste. Especially as the material is precious.” He looked a bit guilty at that. “Fortunately, with your Territory growing rapidly, due to the efforts of the prince, Ulfuric and your loyal troops, the ether is plentiful to… repair… the construction after I remove the material for experimentation.”

Yeah, he was working on that, wasn’t he? Luckily he tested it out on Kikuchi-san’s Territory before mine, even so… “This looks a lot like an Ether Spire.” I mused, observing. “But surely it can’t be that easy…”

Ixitt scratched at his chin ruefully. “It is not easy indeed. Still, I do so relish a challenge. I did prevail upon the princess to do me a boon and use her keen eyes to peer inside some Spires when she last returned and draw me what she sees, which was this…” the second blueprint was a bit different. “… even so, the structure seems to have little relation to the function. Most puzzling. It’s almost as if there is something… missing… that the princess cannot see.”

Yeah, the Spire doesn’t seem to be entirely solid, instead it seems to contain a pattern of small tubes and voids. In a way, it seems similar to a chakra network… voicing that thought, Ixitt grew excited, and once I fetched down several of the portraits from the room at the training school, we studied them side-by-side. When we had seen the similarities, Ixitt went still, thinking hard, before bursting into life suddenly, animated and waving his hands wildly.

“Of course, that must be it! The Spires must function as does a subtle body, drawing in and accumulating ether and elemental essences. Marvellous. Such cutting-edge work!” he enthused. “So that is why my prototypes have failed. It could be…” he looked at me then, hopeful. “… there are strange fragments of crystal I end up with, along with the silvery metal. Perhaps… well, in the longer term, I may be able to make a facility that creates this metal and crystal, rather than having to extract it from your growing Buildings, but for now…. perhaps if we used Etherites as a catalyst… without knowing precisely how it works, it is a long shot, but…”

Yeah, I’ve seen crystal in pretty much every Territory, especially Miyu’s and that wretch Kondou’s. Silver metal seems to be common too, though there are other basic components of buildings, such as brick for Kikuchi-san’s. But these clear crystals seem constant. It makes me wonder… if they aren’t Etherites, are they something else?

“… so, I was hoping to use some of your Green and Blue Etherites.” Ixitt finished hopefully, and I sighed.

“No?” he said mournfully. “I understand they are precious, but…”

“It’s not that. It’s just I used them all up to save Shiro. All we have are the ones back at the Territory and in storage.” Not that I regret it at all. Shiro is far more precious than any amount of ether.

“I… see. Well, a blow, to be sure.” Ixitt mused. “Still, I think we have found an avenue to operate on…” as the discussion stretched on, the bottle of whiskey emptied, a warm glow of drunkenness spreading through me, thanks to the ability of Ether Healing to ignore certain contaminants now, if I willed it, Ixitt changed the subject.

“The area you wish to establish the factory in the Material, we have started construction of a site in the same area.” He said. “More and more kobolds are joining us, whole tribes migrating from the lands of the Fae. It seems that rumours of you and the princess have spread, that your lands are welcoming to all, and even those looked down upon can find work and happiness there. Quite the irony, considering the rumours I had heard of the princess before meeting her. In any case, the kobolds work hard, and are already making good progress. Apparently there may be some additional sites for mines nearby, though they of course wait for your permission to break ground.”

“Right. Well it’s a good spot for it, as I need to set up some Buildings there and it’ll have Defensive Emplacements too.” I conceded. “So, what are you going to use the factory for?”

“Well, now that we can manufacture guns and ammunition, I have begun to train a unit of ratkin, kobolds and others who wish to fight. After all, strength is not so necessary with these weapons, merely good eyes and steady aim. But alas, it takes far too long to make each gun, and we have limited ammunition, even if I have become far more adept at using what materials we have to their maximum, after researching here in the mortal realm.”

Uh, well, hopefully he isn’t on any government watch-lists now. If he is, I’ll speak to the Prime Minister…

“So?” I asked. “The factory is for guns and bullets then? How will that work without machinery or power… oh. I see.”

“Yes, I imagine you do, being mortal. Well, mostly.” He chortled. “I have been researching machinery, computers and power sources. I believe if I can make these artificial Ether Spires work I can use them to supply the factory, and to possibly automate other things, such as our own Defensive Emplacements and more. Alas, without Etherites to test, my work will be set back, but…”

I see. A unit of gunners, as well as production facilities. That would be pretty great. As for more mines, yeah, that makes sense, more mines means more resources… We continued our talk until the sun came up, when Ixitt returned to the Boundary. Banishing my drunken feelings with a trickle of ether, I yawned. No sleep huh? Oh well, I’ll manage. Today is another busy day, first I need to perform Chirurgery on as many soldiers as possible, then I’m meeting Takakura-san to go over the strategy for Conclave, then I need to head to my Territory and spend the ether I’ve been accumulating, before we head off…

********

“So, we meet again.” Takakura-san said. He was still wearing a strangely-coloured suit, this time white and black. Even so, his eyes burned with strength. “I am pleased you could make time for us.”

Us? Indeed, there were four girls with him, of varying ages, and one of them I recognised, her attractive, calming features graceful, her long black hair giving her an elegant appearance. On seeing my gaze, she cocked her head, puzzled for a moment, before smiling brightly as she remembered.

“Oh, Customer-sama.” She said. “You were the one who bought the doll for your pretty girlfriend. And then tried to get my phone number.”

No, I remember it rather differently. “Actually, I was more concerned about your store, sorry to burst your bubble. You’re a nice-looking girl, sure, but considering what was in your shop… that doll wasn’t normal. Not at all. and…” I looked at Takakura-san, who nodded.

“You can speak freely in front of these. While these three are of a rather estranged branch line of the Takakura’s, they still guarded the site of Takakura Antiques, and are still rather well versed in spiritual matters.”

“Indeed. Family tradition said that the store was built on the ruined site of a temple where something evil and profane was sealed away.” The oldest of the girls said, the one I had met. Beside her, the two other girls who must have been her sisters looked awkward. I made sure to be very careful with my gaze though, as one of them had truly impossible assets, straining at her clothes. The third was younger still, and seemed rather boyish in terms of appearance, and she was hiding behind her other sisters rather nervously.

“I am not sure how much I believe in the old stories, but… strange items such as the doll regularly seemed to find their way to Takakura Antiques, often unbidden.” She finished.

“Well, there was definitely something there, uh…” I realised she hadn’t given her name. “Takakura-san?”

“Takakura Katsuki. The Kanji is written like full moon.” She said, smiling slightly. “My sisters are Takakura Mizuki, written as beautiful moon, and Takakura Kiaria, written as fortunate moon.” The bolder girl greeted me, while the youngest managed a brief nod after a while.

“I see. But more to the point, why is Kudou-sensei here?” Motoko spoke up. Today she was accompanying me, since I had spent yesterday with Natsumi. Hinata had wanted to come, but she was with her grandfather, sorting out details at the test-site and prospective headquarters for the Ministry, so it was just Motoko, as well as Karen-chan and Haru-san, here as my secretarial support.

“I do not wish for Akio to share information recklessly, as he has been too often doing. Hinata was especially clear on that.” Motoko continued. She was wearing hakama as usual, though since she was meeting a high-ranking noble head, it was a richly decorated and high-class one, for formal events, not training. Her finger pointed at the last girl in the room, who was wearing her own hakama, shrine maiden attire, but it was decorated with gold and the cloth quality was noticeably decadent. Having seen what truly good cloth is from touring Natsumi’s home, I naturally pick up on that now. Even so… The girl looked nervous, especially when Motoko was pointing at her. She made to speak, but Takakura-san spoke first.

“Well, Kudou Shiori here is an important girl. She is granddaughter of the head of Tsukuyomi faction, Kudou Yasuhide, and a shrine maiden of Ryōan-ji Temple, one of the major temples in Kyoto.”

“I’m Shiori, it is nice to meet you.” She said, before apologising to Motoko. “I’m sorry, Motoko-sama. Takakura-sama called me here. I don’t mean to pry into your business, especially…”

“Well, while Takakura house is always neutral in mediating matters of faith, we were always closer to Tsukuyomi faction in terms of ideals. And our family has always had a great connection to the moon.”

I see. Hence all the moon-related names. “Still, my backing is largely Susanoo faction. So…” I began, but at his knowing smile, I paused, waiting for what he had to say.

“Of course. But you also have neutral backing, quite influential at that. Chiyo is an old friend of mine, to have brought her in speaks well of you and your goals. She always was quite the sharp-tempered woman, she would not suffer fools gladly. In addition, you have Kikuchi-san from the Amaterasu faction. That will be a difficult one to untangle.”

“True.” I agreed. “I think it foolish to squabble when even now the world is spiralling into chaos. Especially when the Shrines and Temples have a lot of knowledge and wisdom about this.”

“To that end, Shiori and my estranged relatives here have been holding classes at Hanafubuki regarding these matters.” Takakura-san continued. “Well, the eldest, Katsuki, anyway.”

“I have too. For the younger girls.” Mizuki-san complained. “It’s a waste of time though. They all listen properly, and take notes and ask questions, but they just treat it as some sort of abstract knowledge that they won’t need. Bunch of dolls…”

Whoa, she’s rude.

“Well yes. I never saw it before I met him.” Motoko turned to me, a sweet smile on her face. “But yes, we are. Perfect little dolls kept safe and isolated, trained to be perfect wives and mothers, nothing more. But now I am out in the world. Natsumi and Hinata too. Miyu-san as well. And others will follow. But we are getting off-topic. You do want to bridge the factions, don’t you, Akio?” she said to me, and I agreed.

“Yes. Hikawa-san said he could get me some support and the chance to aid his faction, but that’s not enough. That won’t solve anything.”

“In that case, Shiori here is useful. For I am afraid you will not be allowed your noble girls at Conclave.” Takakura-san said sadly. “The Three Pillars that uphold Japan. The faith, nobility and Imperial Family, all agree to not interfere with each other unless in dire need. I am the liaison between faith and nobility, so I shall be present, but no other nobles, even those with good cause, such as yourself, Tsumura-san, will be allowed to attend. Likewise, from the Imperial Family, only Princess Mikasa, the shrine maiden of the Grand Shrine of Ise, will be in attendance to represent them.”

“… Princess Mikasa?” Karen-chan, who had been making notes of our meeting, suddenly spoke up. When she saw everyone looking at her, she flushed and looked down, leading to Takakura-san giving a rusty chuckle.

“Yes. Though the Imperial Family is rather private nowadays, it makes sense you have heard of her. She will be in attendance. She is of no faction, though Amaterasu tends to try to claim her, due to the affiliation of her shrine. And together, we must all navigate this mess.”

“Yes, I do honour my grandfather.” Shiori-san piped up. “But this faction stuff is stupid. So… well, if you have something to say, please ignore me. I’ll do my best not to listen.”

“Fine.” I grimaced, making up my mind. “No, we’ll do it this way. Shiori, I’m going to help Hikawa-san as promised, but I also want to make ties to the other factions. So in exchange for this information, I want to meet your grandfather.”

“I… think I can manage that. He’s already interested in you, since you got permission to attend Conclave from Uchida-sama. And now you’ve asked for more attendees…” she frowned, perhaps knowing about Aiko, Eri, and our other trainees.

“Great. Well, back on topic…” I looked at Katsuki-san again. “…I came across the beast, a corrupted, evil kami, whatever that might actually be. It was damn vile, all darkness, staring eyes and tentacles. It’s gone now though. I defeated it.”

“Wait, what…?” Katsuki-san asked, puzzled, and her sisters mirrored her expression. “… you defeated it?”

“Yeah. First time I met it was just after I bought the doll. It was a Zashiki-Warashi you know, but the monster had trapped it. We managed to free it, but I took a real beating.” I laughed. “Was pierced through pretty bad in a few places, I could easily have died.”

“Of course, the divine, even corrupt, is not to be trifled with.” Shiori-san said, while the Takakura girls seemed unnerved.

“No way, I’ve worked in that shop no end of times.” Mizuki-san complained. “It was always a bit creepy, but to think that was there, just beyond where we can see…” she shuddered, her youngest sister looking pale and sick behind her.

“Well, on my return, things had changed. Let’s just say I put it to the sword. It’s gone now. So no worries.” I said brightly.

“No worries? No worries?” Mizuki-san groused, irritated, but her elder sister calmed her down with a few words, before turning back to me.

“Really? I see, I suppose I have to thank you then, customer. Not only did you buy that rather expensive doll, you cleansed the failure of the Takakura family. How can I repay you?”

If Shaeula was here, she’d say something dumb like “how about with your body?” but luckily she isn’t. There was one thing, though… no, make it two things. “I did try to ring the store, but the answerphone message said it was closed. I wanted to go through all your merchandise, see if there was anything like Azuki that…”

“Azuki?” Katsuki-san asked.

“The Zashiki-Warashi. She’s called Azuki. Anyway… there might be other treasures. I’m also curious. I found several treasures in the spiritual realm too, and I wondered if there might be any family records about them. It’s a long shot, seeing as where they were found, but…”

“That seems fair.” Takakura-san agreed.

“Well, also…” I pushed. “If you are going to be at Conclave, I want your support too.”

“We are mediators, we have no concrete influence.” Takakura-san said, thinking.

“Yeah, which means as mediators you can see whoever you want, right? Well, I need to meet people. The right people. You know how the world has changed. And what I can do, what I’ve proposed. I have Haru-san, Miyu and Kikuchi-san, as well as another Chosen in my corner, maybe some more too. After Conclave, I’ll need to meet Bunta-san, Arisu-san and Suzu-san, as Shiro called them. Hopefully they’ll be reasonable, though some of her stories about them don’t… exactly fill me with confidence.

“Well, the nobility as a whole has agreed that the infighting must stop.” Takakura-san declared. “Foreign countries are making troubling moves, you know that well.”

I nodded, remembering the attack by US agents.

“But making the factions work together is like herding cats. It is easy to say, hard to do.” He finished.

“Which is why an outsider like me, coming in with fresh knowledge and assets, is the perfect catalyst to get things done.” I’m not going to sit around and offer what I have for a cheap price anymore. I know my value. Hell, dealing with the corrupted kami in Inuyama proved it. I’m not saying I’m the strongest, such is foolish arrogance, but… I’m certainly up there, and I have access to knowledge others don’t. Shaeula. Ixitt. Even Tan.

“I… well, grandfather will want to meet you anyway.” Shiori-san said. “So I’ll do what I can. But I wasn’t blessed by the kami, so I don’t fully understand…”

“Well, all you have to do is train.” Motoko smiled then, always eager to talk about that. “After all, Akio can work miracles. I have seen the spiritual realm, the Boundary. It is really very impressive.”

“Me too.” Karen-chan agreed, while Haru-san was silent, still having few good memories of it. “Seeing animal people walking about, trees towering to the skies, beautiful temples, strange sights… it made it all feel real.”

“Akio, you could perform Chirurgery on Shiori-sensei. As a gift. And then…”

“Shrewd.” Takakura-san laughed. “Yasuhide dotes on his granddaughter. He must be terribly disappointed she did not become one of the Chosen.”

“Still, Shiori-sensei, this privilege comes with responsibility. The Boundary is dangerous, so you must listen to Akio’s teachings and not be reckless. But even so, should you never even set foot there, the benefits are still massive.” Motoko pressed.

“It… seems hard to turn down.” Shiori-san said, finally. “I’ve been taught from a young age about the spiritual world. And I have some small gifts, meagre as they are.”

“They’ll grow stronger if you have Chirurgery.” I promised. “I’ve recovered enough aether since the Special Forces earlier.”

“In that case…” Takakura-san said, thinking. “These girls too. After all, the Takakura bloodline is said to be one that was blessed by Tsukuyomi. Perhaps they might awaken some power? Before, I would have thought that laughable, but now…”

“And what do we get out of it, Takakura-sama?” Motoko insisted.

“Well, you said it yourself, you wish my support. I cannot be overt, as I must remain balanced, but I can certainly facilitate meetings and propose suggestions, as you wished. And my voice is well-respected.”

“Fine. That seems like a good deal.” It’s a shame that no nobility is allowed, so I can’t take Miyu, despite her Chosen status, nor can I take Hinata, Motoko or Natsumi, without losing support from the hardliners that don’t want any noble meddling. Even so, I still have plenty of trump cards, and these could be two more…

********

“Sorry, I went as slowly and as gently as I could.” I apologised to the last of the girls, the youngest, Takakura Kiaria, as she cried a little. “But it’s done now, and you’ve been very brave.”

“Ugh, I feel all burning and itchy…” she sighed. “My insides feel tingly and hot.”

“Not surprising.” I said, rather surprised by how it had all turned out, my Eye observing quite the show. Firstly, Shiori-san did have talents, a vestigial ability to use both fire and wind. With her chakras strengthened and her network perfected, and the addition of a lunar chakra, it was quite possible she would be able to learn to harness them properly in future. But the biggest shock was the three Takakura girls. Their networks were off, somehow, slightly different to what I was used to. Looking at them, it seemed closer to Shaeula’s new network, that had changed when she became a Kamaitachi. It was enough to make me wonder. Is there Yokai blood in their family tree? How is that even possible? Or does it go back fifteen hundred years, when creatures like that still roamed the earth? Wouldn’t any bloodline have thinned by then…?

“Don’t be so pathetic, Kiaria.” Mizuki-san complained, though I noted her face was still damp from her own tears, as she crossed her arms under her frankly absurd chest. “It wasn’t that bad.”

Well, I did try to use Ether Healing to lessen the pain they felt, and it worked to an extent, but even so, this was the whole-body equivalent of a bad trip to the dentist…

“Incredible…” Shiori-san said, surprised. Her feeble ability to perceive the wind and conjure small flames had strengthened noticeably. It was still pitiful, but even so, the gain had enraptured her.

“Yasuhide will be pleased.” Takakura-san smiled at her warmly, before turning back to me. “Well, this was indeed quite the interesting day. Rest assured, I support your ambitions for the country, a strong, united country where faith is seen as a common part of normal life, and misuse of these new powers are regulated. After all, did I not meet you along with the other pillars of our society?”

I nodded, and he continued. “Many of those at Conclave will agree with the sentiments. However, gathering everyone together, overcoming their own vested interests, to act in the greater good of all… that is the challenge. Are you up to it, Oshiro-san?”

At his suddenly piercing gaze, I merely stared back, my inner strength and League shining. “Up to it? Damn right I’m up to it. I’ve seen what lurks in the shadows, and how the Boundary can affect the real world. Duke Myrcolaxriath, the corrupted kami. Kondou Kazuo. That casino in Vegas. All of it shows us the world and those we love are in peril. And I’ll be damned if I’m content to sit back while that’s happening. I thought if I looked after everything myself, built up my own powerbase slowly, it’d be fine, but… no. I’m going to do what I must.”

“I see. Very inspiring.” Takakura-san agreed, and several of the girls, including Shiori-san, nodded. “No wonder you were so bold, making demands of us. Polygamy. So amusing. As a noble, I’m no stranger to that, but it’s more of a quiet secret amongst the upper classes. To declare it so boldly, just to please your women. Well, Tsumura-san, you must be very happy.”

“I am.” She brought my arm close to her, smiling. “Natsumi too. So, I’m sure my father and grandfather will support Akio, so please do so as well, Takakura-san.”

“Well, you have given my relatives a gift, so it would be churlish of me not to give something in return. Very well, let me fill you in on the situation in Kyoto currently…”

As I listened to the old man talk, Shiori-san occasionally interjecting when it came to Tsukuyomi faction matters, Karen-chan and Haru-san taking notes behind us, I started formulating a strategy. Although much will depend on how things progress, at the very least, I need to get two of the three factions to support me. And the Diviner, it sounds like she’ll be key as well…