I opened my eyes to see late morning light filtering through the curtains. ….fuck. I groaned, burrowing deeper into my blanket. One night. Is it too much to ask for one night without having to relive my memories like some fairytale bullshit? 

Sumi was sleeping on top of the fridge as I came out of my room, curled up in a pool of morning sun. I yawned and walked over to my computer, booting it up and typing a quick thank you in response to Crata’s reply. Looks like I can resume tomorrow with no issues. 

Once I was done I fired off a quick message to Kuro as well.

Just signed a rental contract. Now all I need is a new mask.

That was quick

even for you

It’s not all good news

I’m renting from doves

?!?!?!?!?

WHY THE FUCK DID YOU SIGN TH ECONTRACT THEN?!

I rolled my eyes.

Calm down drama queen, they don’t suspect shit. I’ll be careful.

Do you know a place I can get a mask done nearby?

….

I’ll send you the location

The code phrase is ‘Apples in winter and plums in fall’

Just be careful around the Doves

I know

See you

She sent me the address and I changed into a set of short sleeved clothes, a scorpion knife and a pistol going into my bag before I headed out. I asked for directions a few times and walked for about ten minutes, coming to a stop at a nice little boutique. Looks like this is it.

The woman inside glanced up as I walked in, flicking her eyes over my person. Looks like the store’s empty. She stood, walking around the counter. “Hello, welcome to Autumn Snow Boutique. Can I help you?”

I smiled. “Yeah. I’m looking for a piece of graffiti, it’s pretty famous online. I think the artist called it  ‘apples in winter’, but others say it’s ‘plums in fall’.”

She stared at me for a moment, and I held my breath. Then she smiled. “I see. Kuro told me you were coming, it’s been a while since I had younger folk in here. I’m Kova.”

She held out her hand, and after a moment’s hesitation I took it. “Kou.”

She rifled through the drawers in the counter and pulled out a sign that said something about measuring a client. “First mask?”

I shook my head. “I had one before, a festival mask, but…it got broken.”

She led me to a back room, and once I was seated she started measuring. “So, preferred colours?”

“Dark shades, ideally black or grey.”

“Allergies or preferred materials?”

“No allergies, but I’d like my mask to be solid; I don't really like those fabric and rubber type masks.”

She nodded and walked in a circle around me, twirling her pencil. “You’re pretty skinny, so it’ll be something streamlined. Any decorations, engravings, trimmings or extra materials?”

I shook my head. “Nothing too complicated or extravagant, I want to keep it simple.”

She nodded and scratched down a few more notes. “So, what sort of style are we looking for?”

I shrugged. “I don’t really mind as long as it’s simple and relatively professional or serious looking. What do you think?”

A twinkle entered her eye as she smiled. “Giving me creative license? You sure know how to make a girl happy. Well, Kurona did recommend you…let’s go black and white for your association with her. I was impressed with how you managed to slip the code phrase in so seamlessly, like some kind Literature student….” She snapped her fingers. “Ah, I’ve got it! Theater masks, Comedy and Tragedy, combined in one.”

Hm….that could work. “Sure, as long as it isn’t one of those fleshy ones with face folds on it.”

A few more notes went down and she checked her calendar. “I can get it done in about two or three days if there’s no rush, let’s say six thousand yen.”

I pulled out my phone to exchange numbers for pickup, then bowed politely. “Thank you. I’ll see you later.” 

I headed out and checked my watch, resisting the urge to yawn. I should look around for some hiding spots and abandoned areas. I did a quick google search first, then put the first two dozen results into a list. These are the areas to avoid at all costs. If they’re famous, they're conspicuous. If they’re conspicuous, they’re to be avoided. I walked around the ward for about half an hour, noting the places with no security cameras and a lack of people. I also took the opportunity to dispose of my old keys, only keeping one as a memento.

When I got back to the apartment I lay down and closed my eyes, relaxing slightly. Mask has been ordered and keys have been disposed of. It’s only midday, I guess I can spare some time to play-

There was a knock on the door. “Kou? Are you in there?”

……crap. 

I went to the door and put up a polite smile . “Good morning, Ms Kito. How are you?”

She smiled. “I’m doing well. Is everything up here in working order? We haven’t had a tenant for a while, if there’s any issues please let us know.”

I shook my head. “Everything seems to be fine so far, thank you.”

“Do you have any plans for lunch today? My children are off at work today, and I’d like to get to know you better.”

I kept my facial expression politely neutral, but my guard was raised. She’ll press me for answers as to why I’m here. Still, if I set an alibi with the Doves’ mother……. “Sure." 

I followed her down into the cafe, and although it was quite busy there was an empty table in a nice spot by the window. Manager perks huh? As we took a seat I kept my head down, ignoring the glances from the other customers. I alreadty attracted too much attention last night, I need to keep things on the down low. One of the waiters brought some menus a few moments later. “Hey Ms. Kito, who’s this?”

She smiled. “He’ll be renting the apartment upstairs, we’re just having a quick chat over lunch. You can order anything you’d like, all employees get two free meals a week; me and my children included.”

Prices here actually aren’t too bad, but… “I think I’ll just get a sandwich. I’m not really hungry.”

She tutted a little. “That won’t do, you’re already so thin! You need to eat well to grow properly, I should know; Loren ate meat every day when he was your age, and now he’s taller than his college professors. Why not try our dublin coddle? It’s got sausages, potatoes, onions and plenty of good stuff. There’s also our lamb stew if you want to avoid preservatives, and you must try our peach pudding; we’re famous for it!”

I smiled politely. “I-I’m alright, really. I try not to eat too much for lunch, I get sleepy if I load up on carbs.”

“Oh? I see……” I relaxed slightly as she looked back at the menu, letting out a quiet sigh of relief. “I can ask the chef to go light on the potatoes in the stew, you look like you could do with a bit more meat on your bones.”

I froze. “Um-”

The waiter smiled and jotted something down. “Dublin Coddle, Lamb Stew and two servings of Peach Pudding coming right up!”

…well shit. Ms. Kito smiled as another waiter set two cups of coffee down on the table. “So, Liana tells me you work at Crata’s store near the edge of the ward. How is it? I hope she’s treating you well, I hear her last few employees left because of the spike in ghoul crime in the area.”

Truth. “It’s alright. I’m usually just placing orders and restocking the shelves, Crata handles a lot of the customers. We do make some home remedies too though, so I help out with that when I’m not busy.”

“Oh? That’s good.” Her cheerful demeanour seemed to dip slightly. “Honestly, one of the reasons I invited you out here was to apologise for what happened with Loren. He’s usually a nice person, I’m not sure what came over him that day but his actions were unacceptable.”

Lie. “It’s okay, I’m used to that kind of response. I just try not to mention it where possible. And……” I glanced off to the side. Truth. “I ran into the twins on the street while they were arguing. They didn’t notice me at first, and Loren brought up his father. It wasn’t hard to connect the dots with how he reacted to me.”

Her eyes widened slightly for a moment before a quiet sorrow settled on her features. “Ah. I...suppose you deserve an explanation."

"My husband was a martial artist, he ran a dojo not far from here. It was a ghoul attack, back when Liana and Loren were only twelve. My son was in his rebellious phase back then, and when my husband went to the dojo  one night to get something he'd forgotten they’d had a fight. Loren hasn't forgiven himself for fighting with his father the last time they spoke. The twins joined the CCG in the hopes of catching the ghoul that did it, but the case was so old they didn’t have any leads.”

…. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

We drank in silence for a little while before the food arrived, and I cleared my throat. “Thank you for telling me all of that. I…suppose you’d like an explanation from me now?”

She nodded. “I would, but if you’re still not comfortable that’s alright.”

I kept my gaze down, looking into the smoky brown liquid in my cup. Let’s see how far I can go without lying.  “My relationship with my parents is…….complicated. They don’t really care for me, and for the most part the feeling is mutual. They’re not looking for me, so don’t bother asking around. It wasn’t illegal, so there’s no need to bother with the police if that’s what you’re thinking. I move a lot, just looking for the place with the lowest prices.”

I looked up to find her watching me, thinking. “I see…is that why you prefer to go by Kou? To avoid using either of their last names?”

Lie. “Yeah.”

“Do you ever get lonely?

Truth. “I have Sumi, so that usually isn’t an issue.”

“Do you miss them? Your parents?”

Truth. I shrugged, not looking up. “Not really.”

“Because they gave you that scar?”

My hand twitched towards my chest before I froze it in place, but it was enough. I avoided Ms. Kito’s gaze as she watched me. “Why didn’t you report it to the police? That injury could have very easily been lethal.”

I forced my arm down, taking a deep breath. “This wasn’t…….them.”

She frowned. “Then…a ghoul?”

I didn’t say anything. Best to let her draw her own conclusions at this point. I took another sip of coffee and continued to avoid eye contact. Ms. Kito looked like she wanted to say some more, but after a few moments she composed herself. “Okay. Thank you for trusting me this much. If you want to keep talking, Liana and Loren work from eight to seven from Wednesday to Sunday.”

I kept my expression neutral, resisting the urge to roll my eyes. As if she won't tell them about most of this conversation. I ate slowly over the course of twenty minutes, waiting until I’d finished just over half before I asked the waiter to pack it into a takeaway box for me. I took another ten minutes for dessert just for good measure, and after finishing my coffee I politely bade Ms. Kito good day.

Well, that was a bit tedious. I sighed, wandering aimlessly as I looked for a spot that might suit my needs. Eventually I reached the more run-down area where I’d nearly been jumped by the gang before, and I spotted a dingy strip mall a street across from the motel I’d stayed at. This should be far enough. I can probably- “Well look who we have here.”

…they’ve got some new members. I kept my expression neutral as they gathered around, sighing mildly as any pedestrians nearby quickly made themselves scarce. This time the leader didn’t waste any time with taunting before whipping his bat at my head. 

Learned his lesson since last time huh? None of his buddies joined in as I ducked and dodged between his swings, half of them keeping watch with the other half keeping me hemmed in. I did a quick headcount and muttered a curse, my stomach protesting the quick movement so soon after eating. Really not the best time for this- 

One of the nails on his bat grazed my ear as he tried to go overhead and he grit his teeth. “Slippery little- GET HIS LEGS!”

I barely avoided a kick to the back of my knee, but before I could recover the bat slammed beneath my ribs.

Nausea buckled my knees, my lunch spewing over the pavement as I collapsed to the ground. Shit- I did my best to roll with the next few hits, but when his shoe came up to meet my face I felt the world flip. He yanked me by my hair and the stench of his breath nearly made me throw up again, “Alright, now that I’ve fixed your opinion of us, you gonna tell me who your buddy was?”

I grit my teeth, nausea fading as I locked eyes with him. “Boo.”

He only loosened his grip for a moment, but it was enough for me to latch onto his arm and roll like an alligator, twisting with my entire body to slam his face into the concrete. The handle of the bat was greasy and sticky in all the wrong ways, but it sufficed to take out a few kneecaps before I got my hands on a knife.

I cut a few hamstrings as a warning before bouncing to my feet and rolling my shoulders. The rest of the gang was frozen, watching in horror as their boss and most of the senior underlings lay bleeding on the street. I checked my watch, sighing and wiping dirt from my face. “Guess I’m out of practice. So, do I have to hunt every one of you down, or are we done?”

Half of them ran, and the other half just backed up hands-up. I suppose that’s as good as I’m gonna get. I dropped the knife in big boss’s leg, the remaining members flinching as he shrieked. “Good.”

Nobody batted an eye when I walked into the mall peppered with blood and rips in my clothes, so I found a relatively clean bathroom sink to wash up in and rinse my mouth out. I had just eaten, but that was fucking embarrassing. Maybe I should join some underground fight club or something, it’ll motivate me to train if moneys on the line.

I checked myself in the mirror, and when I was satisfied I didn’t have any overly visible bruises or marks I found a thrift store to change into some less bloody clothes. Finding a nice jacket was time consuming, but not all too difficult; the tricky part was getting back into the apartment without being spotted by my landlady.

Pretty hands-on for an owner, I might be impressed if I wasn’t trying to avoid her. I pretended I was on my phone as I watched her move around the café from across the street, smiling and greeting customers all within sight of the stairs that led to the apartment. It was at least ten minutes before she went into the kitchen for something, and I briskly speed-walked across the road before darting up the stairs and locking the door behind me.

I let out a long breath as I sunk to the floor. That was tedious. Sumi mrowed as she smelled the blood, but after she figured out it wasn’t mine she settled down a bit and I went to take a shower. While washing up the marks from the nail-studded bat my torso twinged, and I put a hand to the raised flesh. Usually nobody notices since I’m always wearing a jacket. Even in a shirt it’s difficult to see the ridges under the fabric, but I guess she's just that perceptive.

I dried off my hair and flopped onto the bed next to Sumi, letting her snuggle against my side. Whatever; work at Crata’s starts again tomorrow, and then I’ll be able to use that as an excuse to get out of other meetings and chats with them.