Makoto swept the fallen leaves in the courtyard outside her room, the sleeves of her kimono tied up and out of the way. Hokuto was scrubbing the wooden walkway with one of their roommates. Inside, two more roommates were dusting. Ever since their room had filled with the full retinue of eight shinki, weekly cleaning had become a quick chore, one they could complete while still preserving most of the afternoon.

It would have been wholly unremarkable if not for the arrival of Joker-sama and several of his regular hunting party.

Their master took long, purposeful strides down the walkway. His face was set with his lips tight and his gaze locked... seemingly on her.

Shigeto-dono was trailing after him, his large mass seemed to teeter with each step.

Taking a more leisurely pace, Kiyoto-dono, Fumito-dono, and Kento-dono followed.

Hokuto was on her feet in seconds. However, before she could even greet Joker-sama, he spoke, a self-satisfied smile forming across his face. "Makoto, why don't you join us today?"

"Eh?" Had she heard him correctly?

"Master!" Shigeto-dono's brow was furrowed. His hands were up by his chest, his fingers curled forward. "Queen is a blindfold. She would only be a burden. You can't fight blind!"

"Who says I can't?" Joker-sama smirked, raising his eyebrows as turned back towards Shigeto-dono and the others.

"Master!" Shigeto-dono pleaded.

Behind him, Kiyoto-dono started giggling into the back of her hand. "We're going to fight blindfolded!"

Fumito-dono and Kento-dono looked on, perplexed by the joke only their compatriot found funny.

"S-sorry," Kiyoto-dono choked out between laughs. They increased in intensity, becoming punctuated with snorts. Her long black locks shook with each one. She began slapping her thigh with her other hand. Who knew the most elegant beauty in the clan could behave in such a way?

"Master, please!" Shigeto-dono seemed unfazed by Kiyoto-dono's disruption.

"Consider it practice," Joker-sama shrugged, grin still plastered across his face. "We might have to fight blinded some day."

"It's one thing if it happens in a fight," Shigeto-dono argued. "It's another to charge into battle that way. She can't even draw a borderline."

"I can." Makoto held her right fist in front of her chest, her other hand still holding a broom. She took a step forward, looking between Joker-sama and Shigeto-dono. Both had turned toward her. "I can draw one now."

Joker-sama looked back at Shigeto-dono once more. "See? She'll be fine should she revert."

Makoto hoped that would be the case. She wasn't completely confident in her borderlines, but didn't want to cast doubt before their master, especially when Hokuto had worked so hard training her.

"So," Joker-sama turned to her once more. "Are you coming today?"

Makoto hesitated. She might be able to draw borderlines, but blinding Joker-sama, while he was in battle... was that really-

A tug at her sleeve brought her attention to Hokuto. The small girl was standing on her tip-toes, dragging Makoto down to whisper an admonishment in her ear. "Makoto, is your name just a decoration? Go protect your master!"

Makoto opened her eyes wide and took a deep breath. Hokuto was right. She clenched the fist with her name more forcefully. This is what she had been training for.

Protect Joker-sama!

She took a step forward, pressing her lips together as she summoned her determination. "I humbly accept your invitation."

"Then it's settled." Joker-sama grinned even more broadly. A small laugh escaped through his grit teeth. With his eyebrows narrowing, he looked almost devious.

Makoto looked back at Hokuto. Her friend nodded, jaw set. Makoto would be carrying the hope of both of them.

"Snow." Joker-sama began his call right there in the courtyard.

Light emanated from beneath Kiyoto-dono's obi, likely the location of her name. The rest of her seemed to sway into light, re-forming next to their master as a giant white swan. The bird knelt down, lowering her head and wing to let Joker-sama upon her.

"Junes."

Fumito-dono became light as well, starting from his shin. His smile was the last to be lost to the brightness. Comet tails came forth, circling Joker-sama to become his armor.

"Bonds."

Kento-dono seemed to move the fastest, soon resting at Joker-sama's hip as a sheathed katana. Perhaps it was his prematurely silver hair that made his transformation seem quick, or maybe this was just the speed of the vessel believed to be their master's strongest.

"Principal."

Shigeto-dono on the other hand seemed to carry weight, carry force, even as a beam of light. It communicated the strength of his vessel, a heavy mace with spikes evenly spread around its smooth head.

Joker-sama looked at Makoto. He closed his eyes with a small nod. Was he giving her time to prepare? When he opened them, he called her name.

"Queen."

It felt as though she was being pulled through her core to the name on her right hand. It didn't hurt however. Instead, it was like running as fast as she could, before fatigue could catch up. It was like a full body stretch after a long sleep. It was like dropping all excesses and cleansing away what was foul. It was like having total faith in one's purpose, unweighted by doubt.

In an instant she was with him, with them.

A lifting sensation.

Snow was taking to the skies, her large wings beating in powerful strokes.

Queen was aware of the feel of Joker-sama's thick locks upon her, his smooth skin beneath her, the bridge of his nose, and his delicate eyelids. However, beyond her blindfold vessel, she maintained a sense of her human form. She could see her hands and behind them a dark void.

There was still something more.

She could also see the sky. She focused further, glancing down to the horizon and back up across the clouds.

So vast.

It was not unlike the first time she rode Snow.

That time, she was just Makoto.

This time...

"Alright! I can still see!"

Fumito-dono's voice caused Makoto, if that's who she was in the void, to jump. She spun, finding not just Fumito-dono, but the others as well, even Kiyoto-dono.

"As can I," Kento-dono had his arms crossed before him.

"Me too!" Kiyoto-dono raised an arm in the air with a hop, her long black hair flouncing as she did. Her eyes were scrunched into crescents and she smiled broadly.

"Of course you can see," Fumito-dono shook his head. "Snow has eyes of her own."

Makoto stared at them. She brought her fist over her chest. "Everyone..."

"Oh. This is new to you," said Kento-dono. He took a step towards her, dropping his arms to his sides. "When our vessels are close enough to Joker-sama, we can communicate with him, together like this."

Makoto looked around. Joker-sama is here too?

She did not find his form.

"We're attuned to his senses," continued Kento-dono.

"That's why I'm surprised we can see right now," Fumito-dono added.

"I can still see when he drops Bonds," Kento-dono opened his palms in a shallow shrug.

"Hmmm," Makoto brought her hand to her chin. She could sense herself as Queen in the world. She could sense herself as a spirit, in whatever space they occupied now. Like Junes, Queen was worn rather than wielded. Was this why it was hard to separate her attunement to Joker-sama's senses?

"Master," Kento-dono called. "Can you-"

"I can." Joker-sama's voice seemed to be all around them. She could sense his mirth, feel the expression he was making as though it were her own. It was like he was everywhere at once in the void. "This is going to be easy."

"We got fooled." Fumito-dono put his hands on his hips. "You knew this when you named her."

"To the contrary," Joker-sama's voice still sounded amused. "I must have been pre-occupied."

"Um... it might have been my fault," Makoto worried her fingers together. She recalled her thoughts when she was first named and the feel of her vessel upon Joker-sama, but she did not recall seeing anything. "Maybe I was too confused at the time..."

A terse grunt brought Makoto's attention to Shigeto-dono. He had been standing apart from the others, not even looking in their direction. "A blindfold that doesn't even serve its purpose."

Makoto gripped her hands together tighter. Even if she wasn't a hindrance, she was still rather useless...

"Nervous?" Fumito-dono had moved next to her, leaning down to her level, his voice soft and quiet.

She considered lying, biting her lip as she thought about what she might say. There was no hiding it though. She confirmed his guess with a few quick nods.

"Everyone is their first time. If anything happens, we'll help you out!" Fumito-dono grinned. "Just calm down, you wouldn't want to after Master's health. Remember, we're all here with you."

"R-right!" Makoto took a deep breath, balling her hands into fists at her sides.

Protect Joker-sama!

"There you go." Fumito-dono patted her on the shoulder. "Master is agile, but you need to steel yourself against any attacks headed your way."

Steel herself? Queen was inanimate cloth. "What can I-"

"A god and his shinki work in tandem. There's more to it than what appears on the surface," said Fumito-dono. He raised his free hand, pointing to the others as he continued to lean on her shoulder. "Watch everyone carefully. I'll help when the time comes."

Makoto nodded. She supposed Queen could be seen as a form armor. It was hard to compare a length of fabric to Junes' near full suit of leather and iron. Still, whatever guidance he could offer, she was glad to take it.

"Master." It was Kiyoto-dono. Snow continued to soar over a dense forest. It was tree tops and open skies in most directions, save one where the tell-tale fields of a farming village could be seen. "Since everything is normal, should we head toward a city?"

"No," said Joker-sama. "It's still Queen's first mission and we're a smaller team today."

"Understood."

Joker-sama leaned to the left. Snow followed, taking them on a large arcing turn.

Queen felt the wind breaking across her, her ties flapping in the air behind them. It felt cool but not unpleasant.

She took a deep breath and re-focused on her master and on Snow. Makoto had a sense of what they experienced too. Was this part of being connected as Fumito-dono had explained?

Turning her attention back to their surroundings, she noticed they were now heading the opposite the direction of the farming village. She was not sure in which direction the nearest city would be, but the others seemed to know where they were.

Just as they were finishing their turn, she noticed something in the far-reaching greenery below. Looking more closely, it seemed like the shadows were out of place for one particular tree. The growth in that area seemed older, closer to withering.

"Master..." Makoto stopped herself. She should have asked Fumito-dono first. It was so unlike her and yet she felt almost compelled to go straight to Joker-sama.

"What is it Makoto?" She could sense his brows raise underneath Queen.

"Is there something over there, by that old growth?" She was looking at it as Makoto, but somehow as her master at the same time.

"Let's see." He leaned. Snow leaned with him. Together they began their descent towards the strange shadowy tree.

Their approach was uneven. Several times Makoto found herself wanting them to correct their trajectory, but before she mustered the words, they managed to do it on their own.

"Oh? You're picking it up already," Fumito-dono spoke softly, as he didn't want to distract her. "How befitting of a Queen."

"Eh?" Makoto was about to ask him to elaborate when she realized they were nearing their target. It was too dangerous. This time she called out. "Please don't get too close!"

Snow landed on a high branch of a nearby tree. From her perch, the whole team could see them—ayakashi, tens of them. These ones were small, bird-like in shape, but were pitch black with an unnatural glow.

"Ayakashi..." Kento-dono muttered.

"How did she know?" asked Kiyoto-dono as she turned to Fumito-dono.

"An interesting ability..." Joker-sama mused.

"Let's not be too hasty," said Shigeto-dono. His raised voice seemed to boom. "Master, we must take care of these ayakashi before they spread."

"Agreed." Joker-sama unsheathed Bonds. The katana shimmered under the midday sun. "Snow, watch the sky."

"Understood!"

Snow extended her wings as Joker-sama leapt off of her. His sword sliced through several ayakashi as he fell towards the base of the cursed tree, the position of the blade adjusting ever so slightly to hit the core of each one.

When they landed, Makoto noticed that Kiyoto-dono was no longer with them in the void. Snow hovered over them, her wings casting a wider shadow than the mottled pattern created by the forest leaves. The few ayakashi that tried to escape to the sky were struck down by the massive swan.

On the ground, a larger group of the ayakashi started to swarm Joker-sama. He responded with a bevy of slashes before him, all the while side-stepping the ones that tried to flank him. The blade found its marks, though not as perfectly as it did when they had the element of surprise.

Makoto turned to find Kento-dono standing next to her, his jaw was clenched and his eyes were focused in front of him. His fists were tensing at his sides.

A god and his shinki work in tandem.

So this is what Fumito-dono had meant. It wasn't only Joker-sama's prowess, but also the work of his shinki.

The ayakashi gave them no quarter. One managed to break through Joker-sama and Kento-dono's offense. It was headed for Joker-sama's stomach. Makoto turned to Fumito-dono, finding him pressing his lips together hard, his eyes narrowed. The bird-creature struck Junes's cuirass and was pushed back, allowing Bonds to slice it in two.

Perhaps this was what Fumito-dono had meant by steeling himself.

Had he been helping Joker-sama dodge as well?

Makoto took a deep breath. If any ayakashi came at her, could she repel them too?

She continued to watch as as the demon birds were split in twain. Sometimes two would be cleaved at once but other times a single ayakashi would take multiple hits, regenerating its wings if hit too far off center.

They were coming in too fast.

Makoto brought her hands together, watching each bird as it came for them and wishing each strike to more closely hit the enemy's core.

No further ayakashi passed through the shield of slashes. As their numbers depleted, it began to feel all the more routine. Not long after, the entire flock had been taken care of it.

"I think that's all of them," said Kento-dono. He took a breath and let his arms relax.

"I don't see any from here either," Kiyoto-dono's voice came from above.

"Makoto, do you see any?" asked Joker-sama.

She jerked to the straightest posture she could and swept her vision across the fields before them. "N-nothing."

"Good," said Joker-sama. She sensed him grin as he lowered his sword. "Looks like we got them before they could disperse to the nearby villages."

"Shall we move on then?" asked Kiyoto-dono. Snow was circling above them.

"Let's head home," said Joker-sama. "That swarm was large and it's Makoto's first outing."

"Understood." Snow descended into the forest, the thinner trees bending at the wind pressure generated by her wings.

Soon they were in the skies again. Joker-sama and Shigeto-dono were quiet. Her master's guidepost continued to keep to himself in the spiritual space where Makoto retained her identity. The others, however, huddled around her.

"Nice work," said Kento-dono with a nod. His close-lipped smile seemed warm.

"It was amazing how you picked out those ayakashi," Kiyoto-dono added.

"It was really you guys who took care of them though," Makoto closed her eyes. "I'm not much of a weapon or armor."

"There's more to battle than that," Kento-dono shook his head. "You should assert yourself more. My cuts got more accurate with your influence."

"Eh?" What was he talking about?

"And you corrected my flight path," said Kiyoto-dono, raising one finger in the air.

"What?" Makoto looked between the two shinki.

"Guys," Fumito-dono took one step closer. He grinned as he looked at her and then the others. "She doesn't know. Just think how she'll be with practice."

Kento-dono's eyebrows raised for a moment, disappearing under his silver locks.

"Hmmm," Kiyoto-dono looked down. "I suppose it wasn't exactly smooth."

Makoto thought back to earlier in their excursion. She didn't recall doing any of those things. "What are you guys-"

"A god and his shinki work in tandem, remember?" Fumito-dono slung his arm around her shoulder. She turned to find his face right beside hers. "All of us."

"You're all directing each other? At the same time?" Makoto's eyes were wide.

"Usually we're focused on the concerns of our vessel," said Kento-dono.

"And we try not to get in each other's way," said Kiyoto-dono, she leaned in next to him, her fingers laced behind her kimono.

"Master is managing it all, sometimes with guidance from Shigeto," said Fumito-dono.

"Come to think of it, it's strange how quiet Shigeto-dono was today," Kiyoto-dono briefly turned to look at the head shinki before returning to the group. "Was he also curious about Queen's abilities?"

Kento-dono's eyes slid towards the swan shinki. His voice was low. "Kiyoto..."

"A~nyway..." Fumito-dono cut in, head turned towards Makoto. "Maybe because you don't have to worry about guiding Queen, you were able to focus more on everything else."

He released Makoto and shrugged.

"No, it's more than that," Kento-dono shook his head again. "It's like that vision ability she has allows her to react faster. I can tell she's right, so I adjust."

"That's how it feels for Snow too," said Kiyoto-dono.

"Master must be the same," Kento-dono put a hand on Makoto's shoulder. "You still need a lot of practice and we still don't know the extent of what you can do, but we'll all be here to help."

––––– ––––– –––––

As Snow touched down in the entry to their home, Joker hopped off, releasing his shinki in the process. They appeared in their human form, surrounding Kiyoto, who transformed back last. Makoto, the new one, wobbled on her geta, her arms swinging out to keep herself balanced.

He should have warned her.

The others knew to anticipate.

"Thank you for your hard work," he said as he stood even with her, albeit facing the opposite direction. He placed his hand on her shoulder to steady her and smiled. "I look forward to seeing what you can do."

With that he continued walking towards his room. He heard a faint "eh" behind him, followed by a swishing of fabric. He turned his head, his left eye catching her finishing her spin and balling her fists by her chests. "Y-yes!"

So nervous.

He gave a shallow nod and proceeded once more.

A blindfold that enhanced sight rather than diminished it. A curious ability. He had sensed Makoto would be a strong vessel. It had even come out in her name. Yet, he had gotten distracted by her form and her-

Shigeto's heavy shuffling steps interrupted his musings. The sound of the footfalls indicated the large shinki was running to catch up.

"Good timing." Sensing the argument, Joker took the initiative. He grinned. "Can you inform Bookkeeping that we'll be absconding with one of their clerks?"

"Is that wise Master?" One could almost hear the wrinkles forming between Shigeto's eyebrows. "It may have been a fluke. She got in the way during battle. Her name is in a revealing location. Her vessel must portend-"

"I appreciate your concern Shigeto," Joker closed his eyes. "But I sense her abilities are real, though crude at the moment."

Shigeto exhaled through his nose.

Joker kept speaking before he could interrupt. "Wouldn't it be nice to be fully focused on Principal? She can provide backup."

While Bonds was his melee weapon of choice, there were ayakashi that called for the brutal power of a heavy mace.

"It hasn't been a problem Master," Shigeto argued.

"Neither has Queen yet," Joker's grin returned. "If she becomes one, we can always revisit it later."

––––– ––––– –––––

"That's great! Who knew you had a talent like that?" Hokuto was beaming up at Makoto. With her appled cheeks and toothy smile, she looked all the more like an innocent child rather than the senior of the pair. The two shinki were sitting on the walkway just outside their bedroom. "And Joker-sama said you'd be joining the hunting party?"

"His exact words were 'Thank you for your hard work. I look forward to seeing what you can do.' So... it wasn't definitely an invitation..." Makoto couldn't temper her smile every time she replayed her master's praise, even as she was trying to simultaneously be mindful of Hokuto's feelings and even protect her own. She might be misinterpreting after all.

"All the more reason to work even harder!" Hokuto hopped up on her feet, balling her hand into a fist.

"Okay." Makoto giggled. She balled her hand into a fist as well and stared down upon her named etched upon it. When she looked up, Hokuto was staring out into sky, in the direction in which the hunting party would usually return, her bubbly smile replaced with a more pensive one.

A few minutes passed. Makoto wondered what she could say about the situation, but such ponderings were jumbled among memories of earlier in the day and fatigue from her first mission. She needed to get stronger, to experiment with her newfound abilities. What was it like for other shinki?

Hokuto wouldn't know.

Makoto frowned.

Just a day before, she had been in the same position as her friend, had the same longing to hear her name.

If a blindfold could be useful, maybe...

"Hokuto..." Makoto called, gripping the edge of the walkway as she leaned forward. The smaller shinki turned back to her. "What if other shinki have such abilities too? Isn't it dangerous to only focus on weapons? What if-"

"Joker-sama usually takes each shinki on at least one hunt, so they know what it's like," Hokuto's gaze didn't meet Makoto's. "He's just been a little behind recently..."

Makoto's response came quick. "But what if it's something that's missed the first time?"

"Nothing like this has happened since I've been here," Hokuto turned to Makoto. "Have you seen anything like in your readings?"

"No," She shook her head. Most of the books in Sae-sama's library spoke of managing shinki or of their utility as weapons. Makoto didn't back down however. "But what if there's a weapon that's stronger than it looks?"

"Gods have a good sense for how strong a weapon is, Joker-sama especially," Hokuto shook her head. "At best, a pot lid would be used as a shield anyway. Can you imagine Joker-sama fighting with a shield?"

A breathy laugh escaped Hokuto's lips.

This time, Makoto turned away. "Then why-"

"It might be because Queen is regalia. Everyone was so focused on the blindfold aspect, we failed to see that," said Hokuto.

"Why would regalia be different?" asked Makoto. "Junes is armor. Wouldn't we expect him to be good protection?"

"He's armor without a helmet, but yes, among the regalia he's the most robust. There are others though, ones you wouldn't think of as offering much protection. They do though and Joker-sama calls them too," Hokuto brought a hand to her chin. "Maybe the scale for regalia is different. Queen is similar in material to some of Master's others."

"I see," Makoto nodded. Perhaps that explained Fumito-dono's actions earlier. "Fumito-dono told me to steel myself. He seemed to think I would be effective."

Hokuto smiled. "Fumito and Kento are nice. It's good they're there to look out for you."

"Yes, Kiyoto-dono too. They're all very supportive," said Makoto, smiling back.

"But don't forget they were all honed under Shigeto's direct guidance," Hokuto expression dropped and her eyebrows narrowed. "Sometimes they can't see his actions for what they are."

––––– ––––– –––––

Sae sat on the porch outside her room, watching Kawakami and Makoto practice beneath the plum trees. This time, there were no borderlines or any other shinki techniques for that matter. Instead, they were swinging staves, repeating forms.

"Didn't work out as you intended, did it?" Lala mused. She stood at the sliding doors, just behind Sae.

"It did not," Sae grasped the tea cup from the tray sitting to her right, eyes remaining fixed on the shinki sparring some tens of meters away.

"In hindsight, I suppose we should have realized there was a significant possibility..." Lala continued talking as if Sae hadn't responded.

"Indeed." Sae took a sip.

"A shame. You had a name picked out and everything, didn't you?" Lala took a few steps forward, until she was just visible in Sae's periphery. "I don't think we'll be seeing less of her though. In fact, she's pulled even more books and now she wants Kawakami to teach her all sorts of things."

"All the more reason she would be better off here," Sae narrowed her eyes.

"We have no shortage of books, yes," said Lala. "I don't think that's all she's looking for though. She seems happier."

"For now," Sae took another sip. "I can't agree with that brat's methods."

"It's best not to get between a god and their shinki." There was no inflection in Lala's statement.

"I know."

––––– ––––– –––––

Makoto watched carefully as Joker-sama let loose an arrow from their perch upon Snow's back. Concentrating, she could follow the shaft as it made its way to the target, both from her Master's point of view and that of the arrow itself. Was this how Hayato-dono experienced it too? His vessel, Hunger, embodied not only the arrows, but the bow and quiver as well.

It was only when they were out hunting that Makoto could truly learn the abilities of her comrades. Though Kawakami-san had been teaching her the basics of wielding various weapons, Joker-sama's clan was diverse. It would be long before she could catch up. Furthermore, her fellow shinki did not experience it as the wielder did. It was something much more innate to them. They could not teach her even they tried, as they would never think of brandishing their own form. Makoto needed to understand it on their level too, lest she just get in the way.

A few more arrows flew. The repeated ranged attack took out several small ayakashi, flying eyeballs with long tails that resembled a flickering purple fire. These weaker ones followed a bigger phantom, a giant paper lantern. Its face stretched across its height, the bottom half a large maw that chewed through anything in its path—in this case, storefronts along the main thoroughfare of a small village. However-

"Master, it's weaker on its right side." Makoto could sense her master's attention follow her own, focusing in on the area she sensed as glowing oddly. He nodded in understanding.

With the followers out of the way, Snow dove towards the ayakashi. Joker-sama drew Bonds, leaping to the ground while the phantom was distracted. Snow continued her assault from the air as their master began his litany of slashes from the ground.

Bonds was probably the vessel Makoto was most familiar with. It hadn't taken long for her to realize that Kento required only a light touch. He was already a strong fighter with good rapport with their master. A minimal correction to angle his blade, such that it sliced through even more of the lantern's folds, was all that was needed.

It helped that Kento himself was affable, hard-working, and unassuming. He had been the first to ask her to refer to him less formally. Working with him felt comfortable.

If only he were Joker-sama's guidepost shinki.

Makoto dismissed the thought, turning briefly to Shigeto-dono, wondering if he could sense her dissidence. She renewed her focus, following Kento's blade through its final strikes. The ayakashi moaned as it collapsed downward, landing as concentric rings before being further compacted into seal of light and vanishing.

Joker-sama closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he lowered his blade. A moment later, all of them were released from their vessel forms, dispersing like comets to their positions around him in their human forms.

It would be easier to survey the damage and search for the injured as many independently moving sets of eyes.

Several of the buildings had collapsed in on themselves where the lantern's teeth had come down on their roofs. The living would blame the devastation on an unfortunately strong gust during the passing storm.

Makoto squinted, trying to discern what each building had been. Which were more likely to have people trapped beneath?

"What do you see?" Joker-sama asked from his position right beside her. She had been staring so intently, she hadn't noticed his approach.

"Nothing yet," Makoto shook her head. It would be nice if no one was injured.

"Keep looking."

She nodded.

"Everyone!" Joker-sama raised his voice. "Start digging! Prioritize finding the trapped or the injured!"

The shinki split up among the buildings, calling out for signs of survivors while removing debris.

"Is anyone there?!"

"Hello?!"

"Call for help if you're stuck!"

Normally, all but the most sensitive of the Near Shore wouldn't notice them. They existed in the blindspots of humans. Even their battle with the ayakashi would not reveal them. However, in this situation, where people were looking for help, their calls could reach and they would be perceived. After they parted, they would be quickly forgotten. Such were the interactions between spirits and the living.

Makoto lifted each broken plank and beam gingerly, checking the integrity of the remaining structure before discarding the rubble some distance away from the building. Fumito was a few buildings over, moving at a much greater pace. How he still had so much energy, she wasn't sure, but Kento appeared to be keeping him from doing anything too dangerous.

She reached down for the next length of board, but another hand got to it first.

Long slender fingers.

Flawless skin.

"Master!" Makoto turned to him, eyes wide. "You don't have to-"

"There's much to be done," he replied.

"But you should be overseeing us and-"

"I can easily do both," he grinned, the corner of his mouth nearest to her revealing the glint of his teeth. He picked up a particularly large and unwieldy fragment of wood. "See?"

His pace increased. Soon he was matching Fumito, though a lot less recklessly. To think, this was the master her fellow hunting team claimed spent so much time sleeping.

"That's why he has permanent bedhead," Kiyoto had giggled into her kimono sleeve.

There was no way Makoto was going to fall behind. She was a proper, useful, shinki who served her master after all. How could she show her face to Hokuto if she let him do more work? She inhaled sharply through her nose and clenched her fists by her side before moving in with renewed vigor.

She thought she heard a muffled chuckle next to her. Whatever it meant, she wasn't going to let it deter her. She pressed her lips tightly together and grabbed the next plank.

Makoto had been worried about safety, but with her increased focus, she realized she had more spatial awareness than before. It was like every person, every building, was clear in her mind. If something were precarious, she had faith she would notice.

Strange.

Was this because she was near Joker-sama?

As the clouds gave way, residents from the intact buildings came out. They too began to dig and clear with shovels and brooms in hand. Makoto wondered if anyone in the clan was a broom. It would certainly be handy to have such a shinki at times like these.

With even more hands, the work proceeded efficiently, with the debris piling in the street starting to look more voluminous than the remainder that was trapping people in their dwellings.

A young mother with three small children emerged from one of the sites. Her tired face managed a smile as other townsfolk plucked out each child, wrapping them in blankets as they made their way out.

Makoto couldn't help but smile as well.

Just as the mother was stepping out, Makoto noticed a standing beam, holding what remained of the roof of the next house over. Something was wrong. Before she realized it, she was rushing over to the two villagers who were clearing that site.

"Stop!" she called. The situation became clear to her. She had read something about this. There was too much sheer force on the beam. The roof was pushing it forward, the debris holding it back. It would either slip if they kept clearing or possibly snap. "That one's not safe."

"Oh?" A sturdy-looking villager who was hauling a rather large length of beam out to the street laid down his quarry and joined them. "The young miss has a good eye."

"She does." Joker-sama bore a clear-faced, close-lipped smile. Makoto hadn't realized he had followed her. She supposed it was only natural. He was their leader and she didn't have much experience speaking with the living. Still, she felt her chest swell with pride at his agreement.

"That beam there is about to give," the man continued, pointing at the one that had caught her attention. He put his hands on his hips. "That's going to take some extra work."

The two villagers who had been working there nodded. One spoke. "What should we do?"

It turned out the large man was a carpenter. He called his sons over to help. They set up temporary scaffolding to secure the area as they continued the search while the two original men moved onto another building.

Makoto returned to her previous site. Her master followed. He had been working in the same area.

"Maybe you should be the one overseeing," he said.

Makoto nearly dropped the plank she was holding. When he stated things so bluntly like that, she wasn't sure how to respond. "Oh no, I couldn't-"

"Catching that bad beam probably saved at least one of those men," he remarked as he gathered several broken segments of wood and part of what looked like a door.

"I've been surveying regularly," Makoto replied, glancing across the damaged side of the road as if to show him. She picked up a few more pieces as well before carrying them away.

Joker-sama walked with her. After they added their debris to the ever-growing pile, he spoke again. "Makoto, maybe..."

"Eh?" She looked up at him. Why had he trailed off?

He turned to look down the row of damaged houses. Shigeto-dono seemed to be directing Hayato-dono, but they were too far away to hear.

"It's nothing." He turned back to her and smiled.

She didn't know how to interpret that either.

They returned to the broken buildings and continued their search.

It was sunset by the time they finished.

"Hey Master!" Fumito called, one hand cupped by his mouth and the other held straight up, waving in the air. "We found the last one! Everyone's accounted for!"

No one died. Thank goodness.

Makoto looked over her shoulder at her master. He was staring back at her colleague, his gray eyes clear and relaxed, just a wisp of a smile showing.

He's relieved too.

It was curious, the relationship between gods and humans. What drove Joker-sama? Was it the wish from which he was born, so very long ago? Or was it a mandate beyond which could be understood by either gods or humans? Or was it something else?

What did he feel?

Makoto wished she could know.

––––– ––––– –––––

Joker strolled through the darkened walkways of his estate, lantern in hand. Dim lights through shouji told him several of his shinki were still awake, but for the most part it was quiet.

The hunting party had gotten back later than normal, worn out from the aftermath of the ayakashi. He and Shigeto had agreed to postpone their usual status meeting for the next day, after they both had time to rest.

It had seemed like a prudent idea at the time.

Where fatigue would usually drag him into slumber, instead that familiar and pernicious unease tugged at him. Something wasn't right. It hadn't been for a long time.

And so he walked the halls in an unknown search.

At least it was quiet. The flood of shinki emotions seemed distant, almost like he was bathing in his spring.

Turning a corner, he noticed a pale glow spilling out from a door several rooms down.

The library.

How could Makoto still be awake after hauling all of that debris?

Curious, his strides quickened and soon he was at the entrance to the library.

He had been correct about the shinki, but not about her state.

Makoto was asleep at the table, her upper arms forming a pillow on which she rested her head. Strands of hair fell over her exposed cheek. To her right was an ink stone with a brush laid across it. To her left, a lantern and a small stack of paper.

Falling asleep in a library with a lit lantern... Sae's tree spirit had teased him about this proclivity of hers.

Joker walked over to the table, pulling out the seat across from her and sitting down. He glanced at the documents. They appeared to be a record of the day's battles.

Her calligraphy was mindful and even, adhering strictly to canonical depictions, no artistic embellishments. A unbiased observer would consider it dispassionate and amateur, but to Joker, it seemed to convey Makoto's care.

He considered dousing the lantern and leaving her, but that seemed like a dereliction of his duties. He should send her to bed.

"Wake up Makoto," Joker whispered as he reached across the table and ran the backs of his curled fingers across her cheek.

Her eyes fluttered half open. As he suspected, she was a light sleeper. He withdrew his hand and watched as she regained her awareness. Eyes opening full, she pressed her hands on the table, sitting straight up and staring at him. "M-master! What..."

Did she always wake with a start? While she frantically looked around, likely trying to recall what happened, he considered teasing her:

"Sleep well?"

"I'm glad to see our library is as comfortable as Sae's."

"Were you planning to cause a fire? Who knew the ayakashi wasn't the most dangerous lantern we encountered today?"

...the last one was a bit lacking in finesse.

As amusing as Makoto's reactions tended to be though, this wasn't the time. Despite her catnap, when her gaze returned to his, he noticed the swollen, darkened skin under her eyes. It had been a long day... for all of them, him included.

"You should return to your room," he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back into his chair.

"R-right. Excuse me..." She reached for her the loose pages before turning back to him. "I'll just finish this and-"

"No," Joker did not move, but Makoto seemed to jerk every so slightly. "It's late. There will be time tomorrow."

"But if I sleep I might forget," she argued, the skin between her eyebrows puckering.

"I don't think you will. You've already slept anyway. A few more hours won't hurt," he said. He glanced at her notes. "It looks fairly complete as is. Nice work."

"Thanks," she seemed to be worrying her lips together, not really looking at him.

Her hesitation felt strange. Did she not believe him?

He had meant it.

It had been rather nice, a relief even, to be able to rely on Makoto's abilities, to fight with added confidence there would be no surprises, to know someone so meticulous was giving things a second look.

"You know," Joker started, laying both his forearms on the table.

He paused.

Perhaps he shouldn't yet.

Just like earlier that day, he had not yet consulted with Shigeto. His guidepost wouldn't like this. However, in truth Joker had already made up his mind. There was little point in prolonging it. Makoto was staring at him, waiting for him to continue.

And so he did.

"The family, the estate, has gotten big enough... we could use some help overseeing things. I think you'd be good at it."

"Eh?" she blinked twice. "You mean like Shigeto-dono does?"

"Yes," he confirmed with a brief nod. "You'd be assisting him."

"I see," Makoto looked down at the table as she twirled a finger into her braid. When she looked up again she had a question. "Wouldn't Kento make more sense?"

"Kento would be good at it too," Joker agreed. "However, I think he prefers to help in less-structured ways."

"Oh." Makoto bobbed her head, like she was mulling over his explanation but accepting it. She exhaled slowly before inhaling and looking back at him. "How do I start?"

"See Shigeto in the morning," he said. "Until then, get some sleep."

He stood up from the table and made his way out of the library, confident she would follow his directive and return to her room as well.

Despite Shigeto's likely misgivings, more people watching over the clan would be a good thing. If there was something behind the disquiet Joker sensed, he wanted it found before any ill could befall those precious to him.