Chapter 167 – Next Stage in my Life, but Still a Subus
<span style="font-weight:400">"God damn, Mio. What did you pack in here?" I asked, adjusting my grip on the heavy box of her belongings.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Oh, that? Don''t worry about it. Just make sure none of it spills out until we''re inside, alright?" Mio shed a grin over her shoulder.
<span style="font-weight:400">"What…? That totally isn''t suspicious at all…"
<span style="font-weight:400">After the camping trip, Mio and I received an email that our application to Ageha Community Residence was approved. We were allowed to begin moving our things in before university started. Since I didn''t want to rely on my parents for financial support, we chose the cheaper option— to have two extra roommates. That meant two other first year girls would be bunking with us.
<span style="font-weight:400">There were surprisingly very few students moving in. I guess a lot of people were still enjoying their break and procrastinating. The couple that passed by us, well… they knew exactly what and who we were, judging by how hard they stared.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Saeko, we aren''t as fast as you two! Wait for us!" Hatsumi called from behind.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Sorry, sis! I didn''t realize," I apologized, stopping to let them catch up.
<span style="font-weight:400">Hatsumi <i><span style="font-weight:400">and</i><span style="font-weight:400"> my mom were helping us move in. They insisted rather strongly.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Tsukiji has changed a lot since I''ve graduated," Mom said, eyes scanning the lush knoll ofndscaped hedges and beautiful cherry blossoms in full bloom. Pink petals sprinkled the sea of green, making for quite the beautiful sight.
<span style="font-weight:400">My sister bumped me on the hips and cleared her throat.
<span style="font-weight:400">I sighed. Heavily.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Mom, uhm… Thanks for helping me and Mio move out today," I said.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Of course, Saeko. You''re my… child. I know we''ve butt heads, but I first and foremost want what is best for you."
<span style="font-weight:400">It was pretty obvious my mom still hadn''t fully epted me being her daughter. But for her to be here meant a lot. Thankfully, Mio also tolerated my mom''s existence instead of hating her outright.
<span style="font-weight:400">Mine and Mio''s apartment was on the second floor of a buildingplex. A set of dusty outdoor steps led to an uppernding which forked into two paths, each leading to a residence. Ours was B5 on the left.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Let me get the key," I said, about to set the box on the ground until Mio effortlessly turned the doorknob.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Huh, it''s already open." Mio cocked her head to the side.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Looks like one of our roommate''s is already here." I gestured to the pair of shoes tucked neatly into the vestibule cubby.
<span style="font-weight:400">"You think roomie''s into gangbangs?" she asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Don''t have sex with our roommates… It''s going to make things awkward…"
<span style="font-weight:400">As we carried our belongings in, I noticed that the apartment was much more furnished than when we toured it with Taira. A sofa, wooden coffee table, and dining table with a single seat weed us in the modest living room. Several washed dishes and a cup sat drying in the sink.
<span style="font-weight:400">I shot a look to the other end of the hall where our roommates bunked in.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Hello, it''s Saeko and Mio! We''re going to be living together! I brought you a gift, so I hope we can all get along this year." I waited for up to a minute at their door and no one answered, but I very clearly heard movement from the other side.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Maybe they''re shy?" Mio wondered aloud.
<span style="font-weight:400">Or busy.
<span style="font-weight:400">Far be it from me to force someone out of their room. I left the box of mochi at the foot of the door. As I walked away, the door creaked open. A gloomy girl with thick sses and long, ck hair poked her head out of the room.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Hello…" she quietly greeted, almost inaudibly so. "I''m Kairi. It''s nice to meet you, too."
<span style="font-weight:400">"Yo!" Mio leapt onto my shoulder to greet our roommate, but Kairi picked up the mochi and withdrew hurriedly back into her room. "Aw, what gives?"
<span style="font-weight:400">"You were probably right about her being shy. Let''s not force her to socialize if she doesn''t want to," I said
<span style="font-weight:400">"I just wanna make friends, but fine…"
<span style="font-weight:400">After making a couple of more trips from our cars to the dormitory, we sessfully moved our stuff in and were ready for college when it started.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Saeko," my mom began, "regarding the de—"
<span style="font-weight:400">"I know, Mom. I''ll try to use it as little as possible. Besides, all the fighting is over with— at least I hope. There won''t be a need to bring it out," I said.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Good. I''ve been meeting with Yumi and Selene in the meantime to figure out a more permanent solution. By simply existing as a subus carries the inherent risk of Beatrice returning. We must prevent that at all costs."
<span style="font-weight:400">As Hatsumi and my mom left, Mio stuck a tongue out at thetter''s back.
<span style="font-weight:400">"What now?" Mio asked. "You wanna break in our room by getting our fuck on?"
<span style="font-weight:400">"You''re going to have to call someone up, because I have a date with Mikami. Something to do with ast exorcism. I want to help her with this after what she did for Kana. You want toe with?" I offered in return.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Gonna be honest— that scary shit creeps me out. All you, babe. Bring me some spicy fried wings from the konbini on your way back!"
<span style="font-weight:400">"You''re just going to hang out here until I get back?"
<span style="font-weight:400">Mio shook her head. "Nah. Hana''sing over to check the ce out."
<span style="font-weight:400">"Hana… Please, don''t disturb or cause Kairi any trouble," I begged her.
<span style="font-weight:400">When I descended the stairs to head back to my car, a familiar face gged me down.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Saeko? Saeko!" Kenta waved as he briskly made his way up to me.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Oh, no." I groaned, then put on my polite voice. "Hey, Kenta… How, uh… How did you find out where my dormitory is?"
<span style="font-weight:400">"I have a friend working as an RA who owed me a favor. Anyway, are you busy? You want to hang out?" Kenta asked, getting a little too close into my personal space.
<span style="font-weight:400">And the favor Kenta collected on was to find out where I lived. I had to put my foot down or this was going to get out of hand.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Look, we had sex a couple of times at Fuji. It was nice, but a fling is all it was. I''m not looking to hook up again," I exined as nicely as possible.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Er… That''s not what I''m here for. Honest! I just thought we could be friends and hang out more!" he said.
<span style="font-weight:400">The erection in his pants told a different story, but I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt.
<span style="font-weight:400">"I don''t mind hanging out. Just not today. Mio and I finished moving in, and I have something to do downtown. Maybe some other time?" I suggested.
<span style="font-weight:400">"I-I cane with you!" Kenta insisted.
<span style="font-weight:400">"No… You really don''t need to. It''s ns I made with a friend, so…ter!" I took flight to give him no chance to get another word in,nded next to my car, and drove away before he even thought about trying to catch up.
<span style="font-weight:400">The only thought that crossed my mind leaving campus was thank goodness we didn''t trade phone numbers. I had guys obsess over me before, but Kenta was giving off a stronger vibe than most.
<span style="font-weight:400">If only Kana was around, but he was halfway to Tokyo University around this time. We wouldn''t see each other for a while. I was d that we exorcised him before he left.
<span style="font-weight:400">Upon arriving downtown, I parked in a za across the street from Menagerie and walked the rest of the way there.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Mikami, I''m here!" I hollered right through the door.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Just in time, acolyte!" Mikami popped a hand out from behind and underneath the counter. I''ve been getting things ready for the exorcism. Just need to prepare a few more things…"
<span style="font-weight:400">The medium trailed off while mumbling to herself.
<span style="font-weight:400">Heavy incense hit my nose all at once. Although the room was never quite bright before from all the exotic and foreign furniture stacked against the windows, it was much darker this time around with the drapes drawn. A soft glow of light emanated from the candles on and behind the counter.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Uhm, Mikami? Where exactly are we performing the exorcism?" I asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">The answer came to me as I walked up to the front. Mikami was in the process of drawing a ritual circle into the floor with white chalk.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Right here in the very heart of the Menagerie," Mikami said.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Here? You mean we''re getting rid of the perverted ghosts?"
<span style="font-weight:400">"Nope. This time, my dear acolyte, it is my dad and grandad we''re exorcising."
<span style="font-weight:400">Did I just hear right? Mikami''s dad and grandad? If I remembered correctly, they were the two people who led her to this lifestyle. That would mean…
<span style="font-weight:400">"They''re trapped in this store?" I asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">"That''s right." Mikami stood up and stretched her arms, then patted away the chalk dust on her robes. "Both of them. Stuck here for almost a decade now— mind you, they aren''t the pervy ghosts! Like your friend, my old man and his are onryos. Not the vicious kind though."
<span style="font-weight:400">At some point, Mikami just stopped. Her hands no longer moved to finish the circle. Instead, they trembled with hesitation.
<span style="font-weight:400">"You don''t want to let them go, do you?" I came around back and knelt beside her.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Who would? They''re my family. That''s why I need your help, Saeko. I can''t bring myself to do this. So you have topel me to," Mikami said.
<span style="font-weight:400">"And you''re sure about this?"
<span style="font-weight:400">Mikami nodded and said no more.
<span style="font-weight:400">I tightened my aura around Mikami to seize control of her body but not her mind. There was little resistance. As Ipelled her to finish drawing the circle, I casted fire magic to ignite the candles. The fluorescent ceiling lights began to flicker. Everywhere, all at once, the floorboards creaked and groaned like the ghosts were in pain.
<span style="font-weight:400">"I never knew my mom. My dad passed away from a car crash when I was thirteen. My grandad took care of me until he passed away of natural causes when I was twenty. Menagerie is all I have left of them," Mikami exined.
<span style="font-weight:400">Wispy tendrils seeped out of the walls <i><span style="font-weight:400">and her mask</i><span style="font-weight:400"> to coalesce together into two, amorphous fog above us.
<span style="font-weight:400">Mikami gazed up at the spirits of her dad and grandad, their ghostly forms which were all that remained. The smile betrayed the sadness welling inside her as a tear slipped down the mask.
<span style="font-weight:400">Although the kami had much to spite me for, I made a silent prayer since I knew full well they could hear me. I prayed that they deliver Mikami''s family safely to the next life, so she had the peace of mind to move on.
<span style="font-weight:400">Suddenly, a gentle wind picked up within the store that shouldn''t exist. The visage of my kami husband, Uta, appeared behind the spirits. He ced a hand on each of them, causing their ghostly forms to take the appearance of their former lives.
<span style="font-weight:400">Mikami couldn''t have seen Uta, at least I didn''t think so. She did, however, see her family. They saw her, too.
<span style="font-weight:400">Uta smiled at me and waved, then departed with the spirits. Seeing Mikami doing just fine, it seemed they were able to move on in peace.
<span style="font-weight:400">Something ttered to the floor. My gaze fell to the ground where Mikami''s masky. When I nced up, a beautiful woman with pretty brown eyes was wiping the tears from her cheeks.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Thank you, Saeko. You''re the best acolyte and friend I could have asked for," Mikami said.
<span style="font-weight:400">"You going to be alright?" I asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Well, I can''t see spirits and yokai anymore." She picked up the mask and dusted it off.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Eh? Then how are you going to keep doing this job?"
<span style="font-weight:400">"It''s going to be a little tougher being unable to see them, but that doesn''t mean I still can''t perform exorcisms. A problem for another time, right? All this work has got me hungry. How about you let your boss treat you to something nice to eat?" Mikami asked.
<i><span style="font-weight:400">Something nice</i><span style="font-weight:400"> was the understatement of the century. Mikami treated me to A5 wagyu steak at a Michelin star restaurant. The meat practically melted like warm butter in my mouth and somehow more filling than a burger. We spent most of the time reminiscing of our exorcisms together while watching the blocks of glistening meat sizzle.
<span style="font-weight:400">I felt guilty not being more pushy about inviting Mio, but it was nice hanging out with someone not just to have sex with. Mikami certainly filled that hole in the short time we worked together.
<span style="font-weight:400">"So, you and your girlfriend are going to be picking up a part-time job to pay for uni?" Mikami asked as I drove her back to Menagerie.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Yeah, probably at Isekai Gohan or a campus job. They pay more, no offense." I teased.
<span style="font-weight:400">"None taken, but not having an employee to pay sure takes some financial burden off my shoulders. You also gave me quite the endless supply of jobs to take. I''ve got clients well into next month!" she eximed.
<span style="font-weight:400">When I pulled up to the curb of her store, Mikami hesitated to leave. She reached for the door handle, then grabbed the back of my head to pull me in for a kiss instead. Her tongue even found its way into my mouth for a few blissful seconds, but I was too shocked to react despite being a subus. All I could think about was this older woman and my former boss'' soft, supple lips and hot tongue.
<span style="font-weight:400">A grin shed across Mikami''s face once she pulled away.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Maybe I can give dating women a shot. See ya around, acolyte! Don''t be a stranger. If you ever have problems with the supernatural, you know where I''m at!" Mikami winked before exiting my car, leaving me sitting there stunned.
<span style="font-weight:400">…Or maybe having Mikami as a potential sexual conquest was nice, too.
<span style="font-weight:400">I checked the time, saw that it was still early in the evening, and parked across the street. The front door had been left unlocked, so I let myself in and locked it behind me. I found Mikami showering in the back, and her eyes snapped wide open upon seeing me.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Acolyte? I—"
<span style="font-weight:400">Without giving Mikami a chance to protest, I pinned her against the wall. Steaming water drenched my clothes as we made out. Her hands tugged at pieces of my clothing until we were both bare naked in the shower, breasts scraping against the other.
<span style="font-weight:400">I dropped to my knees to go down on her. As I kissed and tongued her clit, the sweet taste of her pussy juices spread across my taste buds. Mikami''s unrestrained moans echoed past the bathroom door left open when I hade in. She grabbed a handful of my hair, then the horns when it became too much to bare.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Saeko, wait… I''m… It''s my first time— aahh! I''m going to… guh!" Mikami threw her head back, screaming like a beast until I stood up to seal her lips again.
<span style="font-weight:400">Upon pulling away, a disheveled Mikami gazed at me in surprise, drenched hair stuck to her cheeks and chest, and breathing so heavily that her breath tickled my neck.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Want to take this to your bed?" I asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Hah… hahh… Let''s do it," she said.
<span style="font-weight:400">Weid side by side in bed, gazing up at the ceiling while basking in the afterglow of sex. Mikami remained speechless, probably waiting for me to say something. Thanks to her, my sexual energy gauge had filled almost to capacity. A couple of hours had gone by, but only seconds since we''ve finished. I checked the phone to find a photo from Mio of herself and Hana at the dormitory.
<span style="font-weight:400">"I better get back," I said.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Just like that?" Mikami asked, grabbing my hand and dragging me back into bed on top of her. "I guess who needs a guy if you''re going to up and leave like one."
<span style="font-weight:400">Using my tail that I had prated Mikami a few times with, I brushed it against the opening of her pussy and rolled my eyes.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Well, a subus has her priorities. Are you suddenly too into me that you can''t let go now?" I joked.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Maybe my options have increased, but I''m still looking for a <i><span style="font-weight:400">sole</i><span style="font-weight:400"> mate. No room for more than one in my life, and you already have two. Doesn''t mean I don''t want you toe by from time to time to a couple of more one night stands." Mikami grinned.
<span style="font-weight:400">I pressed my tail into her pussy, causing Mikami to jerk upwards. It slid it effortlessly because of how wet she was. Her breasts heaved against me, and I squeezed a handful of their modest mounds to draw out her moans again.
<span style="font-weight:400">"How about next time we do it somewhere else instead?" I asked, casting eyes to the many yokai spirits on the ceiling and wall that still infested Menagerie. They had been watching us this whole time. Some even passed onto the afterlife, maybe from their own voyeuristic climax and fulfillment from our romp.
<span style="font-weight:400">"What? You don''t like an audience?" Mikami fired back.
<span style="font-weight:400">She couldn''t see anymore, but I had to deal with all of them getting handsy.
<span style="font-weight:400">"I mean, if you insist… but there were a couple of perverted ghosts pretending to have sex with you in the middle of it," I said.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Ah, well. Out of sight, out of mind."
<span style="font-weight:400">Mikami saw me out of Menagerie, putting nothing on except for a loose bathrobe she didn''t even bother tying close. The teasing sight of her bare body between the parted robe tempted me to go back in for another round.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Thanks again, Mikami. Seriously. Kana means a lot to me and Mio. I love him to death. I owe you a big one for exorcising that spirit out of him." I bowed to her at the door.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Hey,e on. It was nothing! I would have helped all the same even if we didn''t know each other."
<span style="font-weight:400">After promising to see Mikami again, I drove off humming happily to myself. Before heading back to the dorm, I dropped by a konbini to buy some hot wings for Mio and a couple of bentos forter.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Oh, finally! I''m starving, man!" Mio jumped off the couch to snatch the bag of food out of my hands.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Yo, Saeko! What''s good, homie?" Hana greeted me from the couch.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Don''t you have a school term to prepare for, Student Council President?" I asked with hands on my hips.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Psh. Screw that. My VP''s taking care of it! You know, I was sad about not being able to go to college with you guys, but I''m gonna be the queen of Tsukiji High with you two gone! She eximed.
<span style="font-weight:400">Hana''s school life was shaping up to be an anime. The useless student president, and the hard working vice president. Hopefully, they didn''t start going after each other''s throats before the end of the school year.
<span style="font-weight:400">As I was about to join them and dig in, Kairi slinked out of her room to my surprise.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Hey, Kairi! You wanna join us?" Mio asked, eager to make friends with our roommate. "We''re just about to watch this teen pregnancy drama from America!"
<span style="font-weight:400">"Uhm… I have a question: You''re subi, right? Can I… There''s someone I''d like for you to charm. I''ll do anything," Kairi said.
<span style="font-weight:400">Mio and I traded uneasy looks, because it didn''t sound like that someone was a person she was on good terms with.