A Journey Unwanted

[Realm: Álfheimr]

[Location: Heart Kingdom]

[Pulchritudo]

The city looked better at night.

During the day, its size had been easier to appreciate in practical terms—the number of streets, buildings, districts, and people moving through them—but at night, all of that seemed to come together. The lampposts lining the streets cast pools of light across the pavement, while the illumination spilling from the windows and entrances of various tall, sleek structures gave the surrounding buildings a glow. Some of the taller structures disappeared into the darkness above, their upper sections only partially visible in the night sky, while others were outlined by rows of windows.

The streets themselves were considerably less crowded than they had been earlier.

There were still enough people wandering through the city, but the character of the crowd had changed. There were fewer people hurrying from one place to another and fewer groups moving with any real urgency. At this hour, most people seemed content simply to walk.

Mostly couples.

They moved together beneath the streetlights with their arms joined, some walking shoulder to shoulder while talking, others simply enjoying each other’s company without needing to fill every stretch of silence. A few stopped outside illuminated shops or restaurants, while others continued deeper into the streets, apparently with nowhere in particular they needed to be.

Shuten-dōji’s attention followed them for a while.

She studied the various couples with an expression of amusement, her eyes moving from one pair to another as though she found something interesting in the simple way they stayed close to one another.

Eventually, she looked toward Mikoto.

"Want to lock arms as well?" the oni offered, her voice carrying a teasing edge. "We could at least pretend we’re like everyone else out here. It might even make this little walk feel more appropriately romantic."

"I’ll punt you," Mikoto said blandly, keeping pace with her without even looking particularly bothered by the suggestion. "Don’t mistake walking beside me for an invitation to start acting affectionate."

Shuten-dōji merely shrugged; she did not look offended, nor did she try to push the matter. If anything, the refusal appeared to amuse her more than anything else.

For a moment, silence settled between them as they continued walking through the night streets.

Conversations from people passed nearby, occasionally reaching them before disappearing behind the surrounding noise. Somewhere farther down the street, someone laughed. A carriage or vehicle passed along another road, its sound rising above everything else before fading again.

Then a cold breeze moved through the street.

It slipped between the buildings and brushed against Mikoto’s exposed skin; he barely reacted.

A simple spell took care of it.

The cold was nullified against his delicate skin almost immediately, the discomfort disappearing before it could settle.

Even so, he pocketed his hands afterward; there was little reason not to. Letting them hang uselessly at his sides seemed pointless, and keeping them tucked away was simply more comfortable.

His red eyes wandered across the streets.

Even after becoming somewhat accustomed to the city, even after spending enough time within it that its general appearance was no longer unfamiliar, Mikoto still found himself noticing just how vast it was.

There always seemed to be another street beyond the one they were currently walking down. Another building, district, or collection of lights disappearing into the distance.

The city seemed rich in a way that was difficult to reduce to any single thing. It was the sheer amount of life packed into one place—the businesses, the streets, the structures, the people, the lights, all of it continuing long after the sun had disappeared.

As though there was no real end to it.

("It’s smaller than Tokyo, but there’s much to see.") The thought came idly to Mikoto.

Yet the thought failed to stir any real excitement within him.

He could not be bothered to care all that much about a world he was not going to stay in.

Beautiful places were still temporary, interesting people were still temporary, and even peaceful nights like this one were temporary.

Mikoto continued walking without allowing the thought to show on his face.

"Many are at peace here," Shuten-dōji suddenly started.

Mikoto’s gaze shifted toward her.

She continued watching the people around them rather than looking directly at him.

"It is a simple process for most to find contentment," she said, correcting herself naturally as she continued. "At least, it seems that way when you look at them. They find someone they care for, walk beside them, and speak with them, and for a little while they seem satisfied simply because they are not alone."

Her red eyes settled on one of the couples ahead of them before moving toward another person walking alone.

"It is odd how something so simple can become so complex for others."

Mikoto watched her for a moment; he could already tell where she was going with this.

"This going anywhere?" he questioned, his tone carrying no real curiosity. "Because if you’re trying to turn watching random couples into some profound lesson about life, you should probably just get to whatever point you’re actually trying to make."

Shuten-dōji’s expression remained calm.

"You are not content, I believe," the oni stated.

Mikoto’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"This is another oh-so-perfect deduction of yours?" he questioned, his voice dry. "You’ve been doing that a lot today. Looking at me for a few seconds, and suddenly you’ve figured something out."

His gaze turned forward again.

"But I guess it isn’t wrong." There was no defensiveness behind the admission.

That seemed to surprise Shuten-dōji more than the actual answer.

"Hm," she murmured, a small smile beginning to form. "I’m surprised you admit it so easily. I expected you to argue with me for another few minutes, if only because you dislike giving anyone the satisfaction of being correct about you."

Mikoto gave the smallest shrug.

"You said to talk, so I’m talking. That’s what you wanted, isn’t it?" He glanced toward her briefly. "Not like this information will do you a lot of good anyway."

Shuten-dōji’s smile softened.

"Then what is it you are yearning for to find contentment?" she asked. "If it is not simply peace, then what is it? Something you have lost? Something you have never had? Or perhaps something you have convinced yourself you do not need?" Her tone remained gentle rather than interrogative. "Love, maybe?"

Mikoto looked at her.

"Not the kind you’re thinking about," he said.

There was a slight pause; the words were simple, but Shuten-dōji’s expression changed almost immediately.

"Ah." Realization dawned across her beautiful face; her eyes shifted toward him, studying him with a little more understanding than before. "I did not think you had a family."

"Do I give you the impression of someone whose family is gone or something?" Mikoto questioned.

He sounded mildly skeptical, as though he were genuinely questioning whether that was the sort of impression he gave people.

His gaze remained ahead.

The city continued to move around them, couples passing beneath the lampposts, solitary pedestrians going about their evenings, conversations rising and fading as they walked past. Mikoto watched none of them for long. His eyes simply remained fixed somewhere farther down the street.

"Merely someone who does not care for familial bonds," Shuten-dōji stated, she considered him for another moment before continuing. "But I gather there’s a lot on the mind of someone like you. More than you usually allow people to see, anyway. Curious that this is at the forefront of it."

Mikoto’s expression remained largely unchanged.

He could not blame her for being surprised.

He doubted the first thing people thought about when staring at him was that he had family problems. There was nothing about the way he carried himself that suggested someone who spent much time thinking about family. He did not speak about them. He did not behave as though he missed anyone. He certainly did not walk around wearing grief openly enough for a stranger to immediately recognize it.

Most people probably assumed there was nothing there.

And, in some ways, Mikoto had made sure of that.

"But it’s endearing your problems are so grounded," the oni said after a moment.

Her words carried a strange gentleness; there was no pity or any amusement at his expense. Her tone was closer to genuine surprise that beneath all the things that made Mikoto difficult to understand, what troubled him could still be something as ordinary and painfully familiar as family.

"So who is it that you miss?"

Mikoto was silent for a few seconds.

"It’s my mother and sister," Mikoto said, his gaze staying forward.

Even though he had relented and agreed to talk, he still did not bother looking into her eyes. He had already given her more than he normally would have, and somehow turning his head toward her made the admission feel more than he wanted it to.

He continued walking at the same pace.

"My mother and my sister," he repeated more quietly, almost as though saying it a second time made the distinction clearer. "That’s who I think about. That’s what constantly makes it feel like there’s something I’m missing. It’s them." He paused briefly. "I don’t know if that makes sense to you, but that’s the closest way I can put it."

Shuten-dōji’s expression softened.

"What are their names?" Her innocent curiosity seemed to grow rather than diminish.

Mikoto detected no hidden implication in the question. She simply wanted to know. If these were the people Mikoto missed, then naturally she wanted to know who they were. Their names seemed like such a simple thing to ask for, something so ordinary that there should have been no reason for him not to answer.

Mikoto’s footsteps continued.

For several moments, he said nothing.

Then, without changing his expression, without looking toward her, and without even slowing down, he answered.

"I don’t remember."

The words were flat and almost completely blank.

Shuten-dōji’s expression stilled.

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