The shop was adorned with extravagant lights for a warm ambience as well. Trinkets and wares considered to be haunted in town filled the shelves. Katanas, armor, chinaware, porcelain dolls—all the stuff I've seen and heard rich people possess was everywhere. It's like I'm inside a museum instead of a pawnshop.

"I take it this young lady is the bride?"

He knows!

Azuri responded with a sigh, "Unfortunately. But—"

"There's a problem. Otherwise, you wouldn't have come to visit." The old man added, as if he could recognize any problem.

Azuri shrugged as he removed his straw hat, exposing more of his sharp features. He really did look like a civilian without the straw hat and katana, aside from his deathly pale skin, as did the tidy old man. Not a mark of death on them, unless they were stabbed internally or died from illnesses.

"She's mute. Heck, mute or not, that girl's a walking alarm bell for trouble." Azuri mockingly pointed his thumb at me.

"And what of you, Kashiki-kun?"

"Not telling.”

Stubborn jackass.

The old man fixed his glasses. "It's a relief that her voice was the only quality she lost upon sudden contact. Regaining that should be no big deal. Before we get to the matter at hand, it's good manners to introduce oneself to such a fine young lady."

With a gentle smile, the old man bowed before me.

"Greetings, Shi no Hanayome. Or should I perhaps call, Shizuka-san? It's been a while."

'It's been a while? Oh . . . Oh no.

"I am Hayashi Benjiro. You may simply refer to me as 'Benjiro' or . . .’Hayashi-san' in your mind, as you wish. I am pleased to make your acquaintance."

I dipped my head in apology!

"What's wrong with this idiot?" scorned Azuri.

Hayashi-san chuckled, “She and I have met once. When she was a curious little girl."

"Oh, really? Geez, just how old are you, Jii-san?"

"Not telling."

So the song does work! I thought I had exorcised him, but it felt like I restricted his ability to interact with the other realm instead! Oh, this is so embarrassing. He seemed super nice, too.

I can't believe I ruined this old man's career! He's working in a pawnshop now, surely he enjoys relaxing as a ghost more than haunting people . . . right?

Azuri scoffed, "Skip the pleasantries. Jii-san. We need answers."

"Yes, yes . . ." Benjiro-san sighed as he grabbed a nearby chair and placed it in front of a big shelf, loaded with dusty and worn out books, before standing on it. 

He pulled out a big book before descending from the chair and opening it, flipping the pages as he skimmed through each page.

What an extremely fast reader! I assume it's a fancy book of sacred rituals, and other sacred topics I'm confident I won't understand unless he summarizes it.

Benjiro-san then pulled out a piece of paper and a coin.

Hahaha . . . I should've figured.

He gestured for me to sit on the floor across from him while maintaining a wide distance. Azuri laid down beside the old man like a sloth. He poured one cup of tea before turning to the book on a small wooden table between us. Aren't they going to drink tea too? Maybe it's because I'm the only mortal one here.

He placed the paper of Hiragana letters on the table and a coin. I reflexively placed the tip of my index finger on it.

"Remember not to let go, understood?"

Ahh . . . I want to bury myself in snow. 

I nodded with determination and ended up lifting the cup of tea with my other hand, only to realize how incredibly thirsty I was. What if I did let go of the coin? Would he still haunt me?

"I suppose master Kashiki had explained to you about your destiny as the Shi no Hanayome, correct? That you were born with such qualities that determined your true nature?"

I nodded again.

"Very well. Let me summarize the problem of your curse. From the beginning. However, only should you ask, then I'll answer."

Azuri groaned in irritation and leaned in close to the table. "Cut the crap. How did the Shi no Hanayome lose her voice?"

Talk about manners and temper!

Benjiro-san sighed once more before the coin started moving in swift motion. It felt as if he was controlling my finger. The coin shifted from one character to another, and each took only a millisecond until it completed a full sentence.

"After forbidden contact between a ghost and mortal, one ability of each individual would be restricted due to the forbidden occurrence by divine laws that twist their souls, affecting physical senses or external functions, with a seal unless both agree to perform a ritual that unlocks said seal."

"And? How to get her voice and my something back?"

Azuri yawned as Benjiro-san continued, making the coin under my finger continue to shift at such speed. "For one to regain one's voice and . . . another's unknown restricted function, the ghost and mortal shall bond like the reflecting and alternative sides of a mirror, and thus, they can touch each other without consequences. Touching a second party of their beings would result in another curse, so you two must avoid that at all costs."

"And what about the ritual?"

Geez! The more Azuri asks questions, the faster Benjiro-san speaks, and the coin moves! My finger can't keep up!

"The ghost must obtain something in the mortal world, while the mortal must obtain something in the ghost world. As said on this page, to recover restricted functions such as a voice, each individual must obtain two Higanbanas. For the ghost, red as there exists in the mortal world. And the mortal, blue as there exists in the ghost world."

That sounded like a simple job. Sensei Kashiki, the Kiri no Tsujigiri, has loads of Higanbana flowers!

When I turned to him with an expectant grin, he flinched.

"Don't give me that look, Mari. Those flowers? They're nothing but fakes. Illusions! You know, for dramatic effect. You saw that last night."

Oh, when the flowers withered into ashes when they fell on mortal grounds that night . . . What else could frustrate me more than this?!

Lending my ear back to Benjiro-san, who let out a gentle chuckle before continuing, "In this case, real living and blooming Higanbanas must be obtained. And these are no ordinary Higanbanas, either. Each individual must find their sacred seeds in sacred places and plant them on the site of their affiliated places, at the same time. For the blue flower, the mortal's birthplace.

“For the red flower, the ghost's death place. For the two to blossom, they would need to feed from the mortal's blood and the ghost's tears. Once blossomed, both the ghost and mortal shall consume the flowers which they've respectively gardened."

Azuri snickered, "I've got a pretty good idea where they stashed them. Finding the seeds should be a breeze." 

Like that, the coin stopped moving, gesturing for me to finally let go of the coin when Benjiro-san ended his explanation. My finger felt sore.

So much for being the so-called Shi no Hanayome. . .

Curse you, Shinigami King!