A/N: Hello everyone. I have finally finished the next chapter for this mini-series I started last year. Thank you to those who have taken the time to read, re-read, comment, and enjoy these stories during the hiatus I took.

After I posted back in December 2019, I ended up getting hired at another job, which put me in a position where I was at two jobs and was working at least 6 days a week. The decrease in free time dampened my desire to write, and so I stopped writing for some time after.

Once COVID-19 hit and everyone was quarantined, I was still working - am still working - but had a bit more free time as my old job was on limited hours and not everyone was asked to work, me included. Around this time, I wanted to write but I came across the same struggle I had been having previously, that being the struggle to keep my story-telling as true to the original works - anime, light novel, manga - as best I could. I cannot read Japanese, so attempting to buy and read the light novels for pertinent information was not plausible. The anime is a great source for information, but it was rushed and only has a fraction of the information given in the light novels. Fortunately, during COVID-19, I was able to read the manga, which has so much more information and better showcases the dynamic between Aoi and Ōdanna, especially their earlier interactions. It even showed other interactions that Aoi had and chronicles the events in the anime differently - most likely it is a better retelling of the events in the novel, I believe. Because of the added information I got from the manga, I have slowly gotten back into this story. It also inspired me to continue and finish this story. Thus here I am, back at writing again.

I really love this series. It is the first series for which I have written, and posted, a fanfic. I have been blessed to know that many people have read my writing, as daunting as that was for me after I posted my first chapter, and that so many have reached out to tell me that they like my writing. I know that I cannot satisfy everyone, but the one thing I wish to accomplish with any fanfic I write is to compose something that gravitates readers, like you, to continue to invest in the fandom and feel like what is being proposed is not entirely far-fetched to how these wonderful characters might interact with each other, how they would respond to a given situation, and, most importantly, their manner of speech and motivations.

Anyway, this has become long already. I will end with a huge thank you to all that send me motivation throughout this time. I sincerely hope that you enjoy the rest of this little series and continue to follow the story, which I am motivated to complete. Again, thank you, and I will return soon with another update.

Please note, if there are any mistakes, it is likely because I have re-read and edited, to death, this chapter, and some mistakes may have been overlooked. Thank you!

NOTE:

-Aisai bento (愛妻弁当): 'bento made by loving wife'

-Ōokami: head hostess; in the manga, it is mentioned that this position has been vacant

-Waka Ōkami: young hostess

-jorŌgumo: a type of arachnid youkai, known for their beautiful coloring and strong webs. You can read a bit more on them using this link: /jorougumo/

The evening air was humid, a pleasant warmth that reminded one that it was summer. Even with how warm it was, Aoi felt goosebumps form on her arms. She refrained from cupping her face into her hands, not wanting her makeup to smear.

'What did I get myself into?' She internally groaned, tilting her head downwards, causing a few strands of her bangs to fall forward, framing her face. Her fingers fiddled with the hem of her sleeves as her anxiousness grew.

When she had arrived on Tenjin-maru, a servant had led her to this room. Before she could get settled in, O-Ryo had made an impromptu visit in order to teach her the basics of being the temporary Ōokami, since the duties of the waka Ōkami and the Ōokami, whose position she was temporarily filling, were not that dissimilar. Luckily, the position had been empty for a long time, although she never found out why.

Unconsciously Aoi shuddered as she recalled the hellish two hours she had gone through. 'I don't know how I survived.' She groaned.

After she had agreed to his proposal, Byakuya had snapped his fan shut, obviously pleased. There had been a knock before the shoji doors opened to reveal a very familiar ayakashi, O-Ryo, who was accompanied by Kasuga..

"You called, Byakuya-san?" The young hostess asked. He nodded. "Please assist Aoi-kun and properly teach her how to serve. She needs to be ready to serve our special guests later tonight." She and Kasuga nodded before entering the room and guiding her - more like pulling her - out of the room and down the hall.

Flustered and yet to make sense of what had happened in the past minute, Aoi asked in a bewildered tone, "W-wait O-Ryo. What are you guys doing?"

"Hush Aoi. We don't have much time!" O-Ryo berated lightly, refusing to say any more. Aoi turned back to Kasuga and gave her a questioning expression. The young tanuki returned it with a sheepish smile that was definitely hiding a secret. "Don't worry Aoi-san," she had whispered. "You're in good hands."

It wasn't until they arrived at a vacant room, which had several tables and several "guests" seated at them, that Aoi realized what was going on. However, she still felt the need to ask, "What is this?"

O-Ryo let go of her arm and gave Aoi a smirk before proudly announcing, "Aoi, welcome to training."

The lessons had literally been organized chaos, full of broken plates, several mishaps that she would rather forget entirely, and a number of spills. Somehow, in the span of two hours, she had managed to get down the basics of her role, and spill enough food and drinks onto herself to require a second bath for the day. Fortunately the "guests", who included Sasuke and some of his fellow kamaitachi, had been spared from the onslaught of fallen food and drink. Thankfully, they were good sports and did not tease her too much on her clumsiness.

Once her "lessons" were done, she was whisked back into the baths and then guided towards the docks, where the air ships were. After getting onboard, she was taken to one of the rooms, where the Nopperabou sisters were waiting to assist her in dressing her..

As she sat and was pampered by the three ayakashi sisters, she glanced at the wooden chest that had been sitting beside the vanity when she arrived. It had held the clothes she was currently wearing. When the sisters had taken out the lovely new kimono, she had nearly crumpled to the ground by how stunning the dress was. It looked more like something to be worn for a special outing.

The kimono was made from high grade silk dyed a rich blue color similar to the kimono O-Ryo, who had regained her position as the waka ookami a few months ago, wore; however it was a darker shade. In addition, the fabric was decorated with an array of wisterias that were embroidered by thread from the jorŌgumo clan, the threads themselves having been dyed silver and blue-violet. The thread from these ayakashi were expensive as they were both beautiful and very durable, and the clan, who preferred to keep to themselves as much as possible, were extremely selective on who they sold their thread to. The obi itself was a bright tea-green color and sparkled from the gold thread that was used for the star and butterfly pattern that decorated the expanse of the fabric.

Aoi tried vehemently to convince the sisters into finding a plain yukata or something less conspicuous for her to wear, but the three ignored her pleas and merely reasoned that the role she was filling in was an important one that required such attire. It took a few minutes of coaxing, but the three sisters were able to get Aoi into the beautiful dressed, she was able to admire her appearance in the body-length mirror. She had been speechless by her reflection and had to be helped into a seated position by the spare table.

That was where she was now, sitting at the table off to the side of the room, with a plate of snacks and a pot of tea. The three sisters left her to attend to other duties back in the inn.

"I don't think I can do this," She slouched forward, letting out a long tired sigh and sat there blindly staring into her hands. She sat there for some time, blindly staring into her hands. Finally, she was able to enjoy a small breather before being summoned to welcome the guests. However, as the excitement from the past few hours faded, the worries she had temporarily pushed to the back of her mind crept to the forefront. In particular, one pressing concern - no, person - came to mind: Ōdanna-sama

She jolted at the thought of him, realizing that she had been too preoccupied and forgotten that he was missing. A hand clenched into a fist, and it rested just between her breasts as worry overwhelmed her.

Ōdanna-sama, where are you? Her face scrunched up as she recalled their last conversation nearly two weeks ago. Ōdanna had been preparing to attend several important business meetings in the other territories, as well as the yearly meeting in Youto with the other Hachiyos. He was to return today, for one day, to oversee the festivities, then would be leaving again for the Apparent Realm. She had been one of the few to see him off two weeks ago before he left for his business trip.

"Ōdanna-sama, here." Aoi handed him a carefully wrapped bento box. "It's for your trip. Ginji-san told me the trip will be long."

He graciously accepted her parting gift with a soft smile. His eyes held a playful light as he teased her by saying, "Thank you Aoi. I'll be sure to enjoy this 'aisai' bento later."

"What, that's not-"

"Ōdanna-sama's so lucky," Ginji had interrupted, joining in on the teasing. "An aisai bento, made by Aoi-san. I'm so jealous."

His blatant comment left Aoi speechless and stuttering, cheeks rosy, like the color of camellias. It was an endearing look, one that made the ogre god stop his teasing. He turned to Ginji, handing him the bento.

"Ginji, please place this into the room."

Ginji, understanding the ogre lord's intentions, nodded and left the two alone. Once it was just the two of them, Ōdanna closed the distance between him and Aoi.

Once he was close enough that their clothes could brush against each other when the wind picked up, Ōdanna placed a hand onto Aoi's cheek, guiding her head upwards. Their eyes met, a tender clash of stunning red and vibrant brown, as he gave her a warm smile, one that he only showed to her, and her alone.

"Ōdanna-sama," she breathed, taken aback by the sudden affectionate display. It was not that uncommon, especially since she had agreed to allow him to court her, for him to be more bold with physical contact when it was just the two of them. However, it did not mean that she had gained immunity from their close contact. "Shouldn't you get onboard?"

"What is this?" He responded in a light tone. "Does my bride truly wish to part with me so soon?" Despite the playful attitude, Aoi knew that he was giving her a choice - to continue enjoying each other's presence for just a bit longer, or to quickly say their farewells and part.

She reached up to embrace the hand on her cheek, relishing in the warmth of his hand beneath her fingers. It made her more conscious of how close they were, but she did not lean away from their close proximity.

"I would rather you stay, if you could." Ōdanna did not expect her sudden confession. His eyes widened for a second as the words sunk into his mind. Carefully, he positioned his other hand on her other cheek then leaned in and pressed his lips to her forehead. He was tempted to press his lips onto hers but worried that she would become too flustered and pull away. Thus this would have to do, for now.

"I will miss you as well, Aoi." He whispered against her bangs, his nose able to pick up the subtle smell of flowers from her hair - it was likely the lingering scent from the shampoo she used for her bath late last night. "I always long for you whenever you leave my line of view."

The kiss and his honest words made Aoi smile and grip his hand tighter, and she tucked her head further into her chest, trying to hide her growing blush. The Master Innkeeper pulled back and looked at her with a loving gaze, one which she shyly returned once she had calmed down. After a few minutes, Ginji, who was watching the couple from the deck of the ship, called out to him that he had to leave. The two were brought back to reality and each let out a sigh as they accepted the fact that they would have to part.

Before turning away to board the ship, tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear and said, "Wait for me, Aoi. When I return, I will come to see you to spend Tanabata together before I leave for the Apparent Realm."

Hearing this promise, Aoi perked up. "Really, you promise?"

He had laughed at her eagerness and nodded. "I promise."

The memories from that day, as sweet as it was, suddenly put Aoi in a foul mood. She had been waiting for him to come over all day, only to learn that he had gone out and was now lost somewhere in the Hidden Realm. Because of his absence, she was made to be the temporary Ōokami and serve some very important guests. Feeling her stress return, Aoi straightened herself up and grabbed one of the senbei crackers that the sisters had gotten for her before they left. Food always distracted her, and she could use a distraction right now for both her rising anxiety and the complicated feelings in her heart.

"Hmm," she moaned, enjoying the crackers. She picked one up, admiring the square shape, with rounded corners, of the crackers. This particular one had pieces of nori in it, which complimented the golden brown exterior of the cracker. They were lightly salted and had a unique but familiar nutty flavor, one that Aoi could not help but relish in. As she ate, her worries were momentarily forgotten, and she enjoyed demolishing the plate of crackers.

While she chewed, Aoi poured herself a cup of tea, being very careful not to spill onto her sleeves. She took a small sip, her lips finally spreading in a smile at the smooth, rich taste of matcha. She took her time drinking her tea, finishing the rest of the crackers as she did. By the time she was blissfully finishing her second cup, there was a slight rattle, which she knew from experience meant that the ship was finally leaving the ground. The shaking brought her back down to reality.

"Oh no." She groaned while downing the last of the tea. The nerves that had been pleasantly pushed to the back of her mind returned full force.

It was Kasuga, who called out "I am coming in, Aoi-san" before the shoji door. Upon seeing Aoi, her face lit up.

"Wow Aoi-san, you look beautiful."

Her praise brought a light flush to Aoi's cheeks. 'Thanks," she mumbled graciously.

"The guests are nearly ready," the tanuki explained. "I was asked to bring you there before they arrive, so we need to leave now."

Aoi's face fell as nervousness filtered into her expression. She looked down at her fingers, which were wringing her obi. Noticing the wrinkles, Aoi immediately stopped and patted the fabric back to its original state. Afterwards, she let out a sigh, mentally preparing herself as she looked up at Kasuga and nodded, rising to her feet.

She stood up, squaring her shoulders then followed Kasuga out the room. The clack of her getas echoed down the quiet corridors as they made their way down to the main hall.

Aoi turned to Kasuga with a question. "Hey Kasuga,"

"What is it, Aoi-san?"

"Has there been any news about Ōdanna?"

Kasuga shook her head. "I haven't heard of any updates." She turned towards Aoi, a frown tugging down the corners of her lips when she caught sight of Aoi's worried face.

The young tanuki grabbed one of Aoi's hands, a smile breaking across her face. "Don't worry, Aoi-san. I believe Ōdanna-sama is safe and probably scrambling to come back as quick as possible to see you."

The imagery of a frantic Ōdanna made Aoi giggle a bit, which relieved her companion.

"You're probably right. Thanks Kasuga."

"Anything for you, Aoi-san."

The two exchanged genuine smiles and continued their way towards the main hall. As they neared the doors leading to the main hall, the two could see Byakuya standing outside the door. Beside him were two attendants, likely workers who had helped to prepare the room earlier. He glanced in their direction upon sensing the two of them approach. After a moment, he brought up his fan to his face, his eyes full of approval as he nodded to them.

"Good to see that you are no longer covered in food, Aoi-kun." Byakuya said using his business tone but with underlying sarcasm. "This outfit is much more becoming for our future young madam - elegant and graceful."

Aoi wasn't sure how to react to Byakuya's teasing and compliment- it was a compliment, right? - and merely gave a weak laugh and replied, "It is the work of the Nopperabou sister's. Otherwise I wouldn't look so well put together"

He nodded. "That I would agree." Aoi kept her smile but felt offended by his comment nonetheless.

"Let us go in. The guest and his companion will be arriving soon. I trust that you will not disappoint. You have proven time and time again just that" With an air full of professionalism, Byakuya shut his fan after giving his version of a pep talk. He turned to the door, which the two attendants opened for them.

Once the doors were pushed aside, it revealed the spacious room, decorated with arrays of flowers, intricately decorated lanterns, and strings of small ayakashi flames encased in small colorful glass bowls, which hung from the ceiling and gently illuminated the room. A large table had been set up at the other side of the room on the raised dai. Cushions arranged neatly about the two seats of honor. The tatami mats were freshly changed and off to the side there were several instruments that were left on stands, awaiting musicians to play them. There were several workers about the room, putting the finishing touches on the decorations and layout.

Aoi admired the room, taking in the fine details in the decoration and familiarizing herself with the layout of the room, a lesson that had been ingrained into her mind and body from O-Ryo.

"Knowing your surroundings will allow you to better serve our guests!" The yuki onna had reiterated more than once during their lesson. "Take it from me, Aoi. If you don't pay attention to what's around you, or who's around you, then you'll end up getting in other people's way, or worse, dropping something onto yourself or the guest."

Subsequently after she had said that, Aoi had dropped the wine and platter of food she was bringing over to a table after she slipped on a shuriken that Sasuke had placed on the ground next to his seat. After that incident, she received a thorough reprimand from both O-Ryo and Byakuya, who had stopped by to check up on their progress. Needless to say, she took their advice to heart and always double checked her surroundings after that. Fortunately, she did not drop or spill anything else for the remainder of the lesson.

As she reminisced about her earlier blunders, the workers, including Kasuga, were quick to finish up and leave the room, likely to put away their equipment and await further instruction

"Aoi-kun, come. The guests are nearly here." Byakuya ordered once it was just the two of them. He stood several feet from the door, shoulders back, back straight, and head facing towards the screen door. Aoi went to stand beside him, imitating his stance and posture as best she could. She was fortunate that the kimono kept her back mainly straight, but she knew that by the end of the night her back would be aching from being in such a position for so long.

She wasn't aware that she was wringing her fingers beneath her sleeves in nervousness until Byakuya pointed it out. "Relax yourself Aoi-kun. Your fidgeting is distracting."

She turned her head to peer at him from the side. He did not meet her gaze head on but eyed her out of the corner of his eyes. "You are not in this alone. So do not be so anxious."

"Easy for you to say," she groused internally, but let out a "Hn" in response nonetheless. She took a few deep, slow breaths to center herself and calm down. As she was just beginning to relax, the voice of a female attendant brought her back to reality. The voice, coming from outside the room, announced the arrival of their guests.

"Remain calm and remember your lessons." Byakuya quickly whispered to her as he closed his fan, holding the end with his other hand. "You will do fine." He said no more.

"Alright," Aoi thought as she squared her shoulders and pushed her nerves to the back of her mind. "You can do this Aoi."

And thus, the doors opened, revealing the long-awaited guests.