When I woke up the flight was almost over. I guess I did he rest, I have a lot on my mind… Eri and the girls were up too, talking to each other about trivial matters, ughing and joking pyfully, but my keen senses picked up… something… off about them all, an uone, some sort of emotions I was uo decipher. Still, when I asked about it, all I got was ughing denials and advice that talk between girls was no pce for a man to butt in on.

  Deg to heed their wisdom, I joihe harmless talk, reminisg about the trip and what we were going to do . The flight was due to nd in a couple of hours, te afternoon Monday in local Japaime, unwinding the advantage of the time difference we had enjoyed iher dire. The inal pn was for Eri and Aiko to head home once we reached Tokyo, but now they seemed opposed to that idea.

  “No way bro, we take a train tomorrow, you afford ickets, 't you?” My sister was pining. “School doesn’t start in Nishimorioka until the fourth, so that leaves tomorrow free. There’s no way that while we are here we are going to miss out on seeing the little love- you share with Shaeu, right Eri?”

  At the term love- Eri and Shaeu shared a look, their expressions hard to interpret. Eri isn’t reag as defensively as I’d expect…

  As I that I nearly missed the final words from my sis. “… and wow, I really want to put off getting home for as long as possible. It’s going to be so awkward. It isn’t fair I have to expin it first to mom and dad…”

  Oh yeah. I got engaged. And… yeah. That. My father is going to be really angry, especially as he warned us. I don’t regret it, but even so… “Yeah, my bad. Just get them to call me, I’ll… take care of it then, as best I , anyway.” Eri shot me a sympathetic look, and I returned her smile. “I guess you’ll have trouble with your parents tht Eri? Though probably of a different kind. If anything, they’ll be trying to get us to set a date for the wedding, I'd imagine?”

  As Eri nodded, giggling, I turned bay sis, who was grinning at my disfort. “And it isn’t a love-. Shaeu doesn’t have anywhere else to live here oerial. Now we have money, if she wants to move out, she . There isn’t anything to see, really, it’s just a pokey apartment out in the boonies. Nothiing at all, I assure you.”

  “No, I shall not-not be moving out. Though we will be relog soon, will we not-not, my master?” Shaeu added her own ent.

  “Yeah, assuming I persuade Shirohebizumi shrine, we’ll be making that our base of operations both ierial and Boundary.”

  “Damn, I’m feeli out again, bro!” my sister pined. “e on Shaeu, I need more advice. How I get this to work so I join you all in that mysterious world?”

  As we shared mhter and I advised her sternly that the Boundary wasn’t a holiday destination, but a pce of risk and dahe captain annouhat the pne would be ing in to nd shortly. Yeah, the trip was awesome, in more ways than one, but I’ll be gd to be home. I hope nothing has gone wrong in our absence…

  ***

  “Yeah, you weren’t kidding when you said it okey, bro. It’s smaller than I thought it would be. If I ended up staying here with you, you’d just end up being a lucky pervert all the time.” She shuddered mock-theatrically. “Now I see why you’ve seen Shaeu naked, acts are bound to happen in this tiny room.”

  “Aiko! Don’t be crude!” Eri warned her, flushing.

  Ign their banter I dropped off all the bags, which I had ended up having to carry myself. It wasn’t too heavy for me, even with all the souvenirs, but I still only had two hands, so it was as awkward as hell.

  “And why is what little space you have filled up with all this… junk?” My sister persisted, eyeing my shelves full of manga, anime and figurines. “I’d say this is defihe room of a virgin loser, but I guess now I’d be wrong, wouldn’t I? Are you sure you want to marry my big bro?” she teased her best friend, while Shaeu ughed uproariously.

  Digging out our spare futons from the closet, I id them out. With them down there was barely any room to move, but the girls seemed happy, saying it was just like a sleepover. Shaeu had opehe fridge and was already drinking, so I decided to cook dinner.

  “That sounds cool, bro.” my sis approved. “You’ll definitely be the wife of the retionship, won't he Eri?”

  “No way.” Eri protested. “I’m going to learn cooking and ing and everything a wife o do for her husband. I’ll be the best wife ever!”

  “Well, out of a ‘dinner, bath and me’ routine, you’ve mao give him the ‘me’ bit, right?” She winked, and Eri protested, red as boiled lobster.

  “Aiko! I’ve told you not to embarrass me!”

  Yeah, it is good to be back. As the meat I added to the pan sizzled away, I basked in the warm glow of family and friendship, once more reaffirming what I was fighting for…

  ***

  Taking in some of the slightly cht air, I stood on the baly area of our apartment. The girls were bathing together, although the bathroom was so small that they were taking turns, to be more accurate. My sis had called our parents and expihat she wao look at my Tokyo apartment so she could be more informed about her further education choices, and that they would be baorrow instead. That was a fun versation. Father was asking if everythi well orip, while Aiko was trying to hide the fact Eri and I…

  Shaking my head to clear it, I took a drink of cold beer, putting aside those worries for now. As I watched the flickering of the streetlights, I realised that even if I moved I’d miss this little apartment. After all, it was the first time I had lived away from home, the start of being an adult.

  “Oh, good evening to you, Oshiro-san.” Hashimoto-san had left his oartment, beer and cigarrete in hand, and joined me on the baly. “Back from your trip?”

  He looks tired, worn down. That was ohing I wouldn’t miss about this pce. Si was cheap and poorly situated, it did attract a rather more… downtrodden… type of people. Despite that, maybe their luck could ge? After all, mine had…

  “Yeah, back safely, my business cluded. Things went well overall, so I’m pretty happy. What about you though?” I asked. “You seem down. Work troubles, or more problems with your daughter?”

  “Isn’t it always?” he said, taking a deep drag on his cigarette, spreading grey smoke into the still night air. “Nothing to be done about it though, at my time of life ging now… it doesn’t happen. I envy the young like you, you still have time to turn your life around. In fact, maybe you have? It sounds pretty lively in there…” He gestured to my apartment, from which sounds of cheerful women could be heard, leaking through the poorly soundproofed walls and doors. “Ah, to be young again.”

  “My sister is visiting, along with some friends. She’s thinking of going to uy in Tokyo, assuming she pass any of the entrance exams.” I cracked a smile at that. “She did want to share a home with me to keep down costs, but I think seeing where I actually live will put paid to that.”

  “Yes, there’s barely room for one here, never mind sharing with someone of the opposite sex. I know I’m ashamed when I see my daughter…”

  We made quiet versation for a while, talking about the other residents. Apparently Karen- had been off work for several days and looked quite unwell. I guess she still hasn’t recovered from what was ailing her. I had souvenirs from me and Shaeu for her, so I’d che her tomorrow, maybe try and cheer her up.

  Once Hashimoto-sauro his room, I also went ihe girls had finished ging and were lying in their futons, dressed in their sleepwear. On seeing me, Shaeu waved a hand to bee over, to the spot between her and Eri. Shrugging, I settled dowween them. “So, what’s up? I did tell you there wasn’t anything to do here.”

  “True, but it is the perfect time-time to practice trolliher and stabilising their works.” She looked at the eager Eri and my sis. “While it is far-far easier in the Boundary, I believe it would be unfair to Aiko to leave her to train alone, so Eri, I would ask you remain here-here.”

  “Yeah, don’t leave me out, Eri! We are best friends, you wouldn’t ditch me, would you?” My sis pleaded, hugging her.

  As Eri tried to push the ging Aiko off, Shaeu used her vision to assess the state of their rudimentary Chakra works. Ohey had settled dowched as they practised raisiher, and after giving them some advi how to proceed, Shaeu and I entered my Territory for the first time in a while.

  The expanded version of my apartment was empty of our troops, the slowly upgradiory Anchiving off a bright glow of rainbow hues. Cheg quickly I discovered there was still seventy-four days remaining. In addition to the iridest lighting, there was also a steltion of glowing orbs around the Anchor and the Silo, signifit amounts of ether having overspilled. I guess the multiple massacres we itted in the deserts of Las Vegas, as well as taking the eerritory has really paid off. While I was cheg the bounty, Shaeu had stored her makeshift sack of Thunderbird blood ihe Warehouse, and with a snort of relief reformed her yukata, once again looking geous.

  “I don’t like that we have so much ether unprotected, but at least the Etheric tide is over. I guess worst case sario, if we have to we dump it into speed-building the Anchor. It’ll be a waste but it’s far better than losing it. Anyway, shouldn’t someone have e to greet us by now?” I asked, looking around.

  Shaeu nodded, eyes glowing. She suddenly let out a gasp, grabbing my hand. “Quickly now, master. There is much-much trouble!”

  Trouble? Letting her lead me out we emerged, only to see damage in all dires. Rubble and colpsed buildings were everywhere, though luckily they weren’t structed Buildings, just the Boundary versions of the Material dwellings. Hang on, wait a sed… Cheg the details of my Territory I could see I had lost a Defensive Empt somehow. A sed, the ohat should have been with it, towards the edge of my Territory, was also showing signifit damage.

  “Shaeu, we o head this way. Something happehere.” At her nod we raced towards our border. As we did so suddenly a pair of Kobolds came scuttling towards us, fear in their eyes. They were being pursued by… some sort of ghost?

  Even as we watched the ghost, which looked like a misty, indistinan, vanished, reappearing and thrusting a taloned hand into the skull of one Kobold, who died with a pained shriek.

  “Vile spectre, sying my master’s subjects. You shall-shall pay!” Shaeu snapped, a bde of wind biseg the ghost. It faded away, and Shaeu clicked her tongue in satisfa, but the Kobold barked a warning, still running. “No, it will not die, ’t be killed. Attacks do not work on it, strikes fail!”

  Shaeu cocked her head, fused, when suddenly the ghost reformed behind her, g at her throat. She jumped back, yelping, and I shed out with my spear. It passed through harmlessly, and the blurred face of the wraith came close to mine, a narrow gash of a mouth opening into an approximation of a pained grin, long spectral hair filing at me.

  Wind cut into it in a series of jade bsts, and separated into six parts the mist evaporated, only to reform yet again mere moments ter.

  “Just what-what is happening here?” Shaeu asked the Kobold, shaking it angrily.

  “It is war, many attacks. For several days fighting, many battles.” The Kobold cowered.

  “Where’s the Kamaitachi? Grulgor, or the White Snake Kami?” I questioned him desperately.

  “Still fighting, at the front lines, battle edge. Many pig-faced monsters e, with ons ht steel, cruel iron. Drive them off, kill many, but they return again a again.”

  “Below you!” Shaeu called then, as the ghost slid out of the ground, hands reag for me. Shit, looks like leaving my Territory undefended was quite the risk after all… still, we are back, strohan ever, so we turide, I know it. The Anchor is still ours, so we avoided the worst case sario…

  Leaping away I called on the fire inside me. “Foehn! Burn to nothing, you bitch!”

  Fmes e as the setting sun cascaded over the wraith, and it began to scream, a silehat made no sound but was agony inside our heads. Its form wavered before turning to specks of spectral ash, drifting off into the sky, leaving behind only a pile of ether and a still-burning patch of bzing ground.

  “That fi.” I said with satisfa, though I would have to be careful using Foehn, as the st thing I wanted was to torch my owory. “Now, we o find someone who is anising the defence. e on.” I urged Shaeu onwards.

  As the Kobold scuttled off to safety, she nodded. “Indeed. Let us punish those who would try aroy what is ours-ours!”