It made sense, then—this house was chosen by the Yuki character because she was trying to be a bit outside the box, in a way that wouldn’t make her monster side stand out. If people thought she was different because she was married to an American and had artistic tastes or something like that, other eccentricities might go unquestioned.

  “Let’s see if they’re home,” Ahlaksiz said, exiting the car without another word of explanation or prep. We all hesitated, then I led the way.

  Coming to a stop next to her, I was able to see through the glass walls that a man had just entered the living room carrying a baby, and stood there eyeing us with confusion. Ahlaksiz waved, then knocked gently on the door.

  He called out behind him, then approached and opened the door. The man had dark hair and wore glasses. The stubble on his face made sense, considering the baby in his arms. He seemed friendly enough, especially with the Japanese yukata. Maybe it was just my head, but the bathrobe style had always humored me on men.

  “Greg?” Ahlaksiz asked.

  He looked surprised. “Do I know you?”

  “No, but your wife and I go way back. She’s told me all about you.”

  “Is that so?” He eyed her with uncertainty, then glanced over his shoulder. After a second, he looked at us again and said, “Maybe you should go.”

  “I’d like to see my old friend.”

  “Friend?” a female voice asked. Greg grimaced, then stepped back to open the door further. Standing there was a small, unassuming Japanese woman with a shotgun at the ready. Other than the shotgun, she looked like many young Japanese women—short, petite, with sleek, black hair that fell to her shoulders. Unlike her husband with his yukata, she wore a light outfit with a floral design that I assumed to be pajamas. “What makes you think we’re friends?”

  “Are shotguns legal in Japan?” Ahlaksiz asked, hand held out behind her to tell us not to worry.

  “I imagine the government wouldn’t like a group of monsters entering their country unannounced either, and yet... here you are.”

  “Good point. May we come in?”

  “Fucking irashaimase.” The term was used in stores and whatnot when welcoming a customer, but in this case, the woman didn’t bow in the slightest. Instead, she lifted the shotgun to better aim at us. “But first, tell me what you want.”

  “Honey, the language,” Greg said, stepping back with the baby. “Also, what the hell?”

  “Go put the baby to sleep,” she told him.

  He looked incredulous, possibly about to argue, but gave me a “Women, what can you do?” look then went to it, disappearing into the hallway beyond.

  “Yuki-san, how’ve you been?” Ahlaksiz asked, and walked right in, ignoring the shotgun. The rest of us stood in place, as I wasn’t about to tempt this lady, and the others were behind me.

  “Living my life,” Yuki replied, “until now, uninterrupted.”

  “Congratulations on the family.”

  Yuki acknowledged this with a nod, then finally lowered the shotgun as she eyed me. “You all might as well enter, too.”

  I bowed and introduced myself with my best Japanese, saying, “Ferris desu. Dozo yoroshiku.”

  “Dozo,” she replied; a bit curt, but considering the shotgun, I couldn’t complain.

  Once we were all settled, seated around the living room floor, Yuki joined us and stared at Ahlaksiz, waiting.

  “No tea? No asking if we’ve eaten?” Ahlaksiz asked.

  “No.”

  “Let’s get to it then. Did you know Amabie was nearby?”

  This question caused Yuki’s face to drain of color, her guard dropping. “I… did not.”

  “We found her at the tree, and need her help. It’s more than that, though. We’re going to Nikko.”

  “Whatever this is, I don’t want any part in it.”

  Ahlaksiz bowed slightly, saying, “We'll leave you out of it, I promise. All we want right now is some hospitality, clothing to help us fit in, and… for you to help me win over Amabie.”

  “It’s been too long,” Yuki protested.

  “And yet, she remains close to you. For a reason, no doubt.”

  “Have I missed something?” Milrae cut in. I’d been wanting to ask the same question, but wasn’t quite so blunt as my red-panda-demon lover.

  “The three of us used to be quite close,” Yuki admitted, eyes moving over to a vase with a flower in it, sitting near the window. “Your friend here hasn’t told you?”

  “They all know my name,” Ahlaksiz said, “so feel free to use it here, behind closed doors. I’ve told them enough.”

  Yuki grunted. “Did you tell them how you betrayed us? How you sold us out to join the Legends?”

  That caught me by surprise, and I turned to Ahlaksiz, waiting for an explanation. At least this clarified why she believed we could get Legends over to our side.

  “A time and mindset long gone,” Ahlaksiz said, shaking her head. “And I have apologized many times over.”

  “And it’ll never be enough.”

  “So you won’t help us?”

  Yuki took a deep breath, considered the question, then grunted. “Tell me everything, then I will decide.”

  Ahlaksiz nodded, then turned to us and said, “You’ll be familiar with this story, and most likely bored. I have catching up to do with Yuki-san as well, so… rest, if you will.”

  “Actually, I was on my way to grab some groceries,” Greg said, appearing in the doorway, the baby seemingly down for a nap. “If anyone wants to join me.”

  I was up instantly—the chance to explore a Japanese town? Count me in! While the ladies were happy to rest, and Ahlaksiz was occupied with her old friend-enemy, I grinned and introduced myself to the guy before following him out. All the monster stuff was starting to wear on me, and having a chance to just hang out with someone sounded perfect.

  13

  “What’s up with the wet clothes?” Greg said as he led me to the boxy blue car on the curb outside his house.

  I glanced down, having forgotten that I’d dressed without drying off. “Oh, right. Just… went for a swim before coming here.”

  He laughed. “Don’t get me started on morning swims. Whether you’re serious or not, that brought back memories of Carlsbad beach, going out for a surf before breakfast. That kind of wakeup, who needs coffee?”

  I grinned as if I knew what he was talking about, but had never actually tried surfing. In fact, this guy and I would have never gotten along back home. Out here, though? In the countryside of Japan, we were two, normal Americans. More or less.

  Riding shotgun, I looked around with excitement as he got the car going and soon had us headed for the nearest city.

  “No local shops?” I asked.

  “There are, but we’re not just going for groceries. You know the last time I got away with another American? It’s been too long.”

  “Wait, so where are we going?”

  “A beer garden, man.”

  I laughed. “This early?”

  He eyed me, then shrugged. “Just a sec.” He quickly called someone on his car phone, blurted out Japanese too fast for me to understand, then ended the call and gave me a thumbs up. “Taken care of—my buddy owns this place, and he’s going to open a few hours early, only for us.”

  “No shit?”

  “He’s done it once or twice, including for my shitty excuse of a bachelor party. Judging by the company you arrived with, I’m guessing you need a good beer and seared meat.”

  “Right. Sure…”

  He pulled onto a road that had several cars already on it, maybe commuting to work in the city. We were in the city in no time, where we first grabbed groceries; I marveled at Cocoa Puffs in Japanese and other brands I knew from back home but hadn’t seen in forever.

  When we were done, we headed out to a large factory-looking building, where an older Japanese man bowed and greeted us, leading us in and to a table.

  The two exchanged more Japanese, then the man went to the back to prepare some food.

  “Ferris, right?” Greg said. “You don’t speak Japanese?”

  “Chotto dake,” I replied. “Only a little.”

  “Nice. When you live in the country, you learn it real fast. Everyone supposedly learns it here, but it’s so test-based, actual conversations end up being a bit more difficult to have in English.”

  The man brought us a pitcher of Ebisu beer and two frosted glasses, then went back to the kitchen. Greg poured me a glass, and though it was morning, I figured what the hell. My body was likely still on another schedule, and if not, it was evening back home anyway. I clinked glasses with him and repeated, “Kanpai!” then took a nice, long swig.

  “Damn, that’s good,” I admitted.

  “Better believe it.” He grinned, then leaned in and asked, “Dude, what are you doing arriving at my house early on a Saturday morning with four gorgeous women?”

  I grinned and took another swig of the beer as I debated how to answer. “Selling magazines?”

  He nearly spat out the gulp of beer he’d just taken in but managed to restrain himself. “That, or you’re Mormons, I figured. One man with several wives, coming to convert me? I’d make a joke about being ready, if it gives me wives like that, but honestly? One woman is one-hundred percent more than enough for me. Shit, I can’t keep up with her. It’s a miracle we only have one baby!”

  “Dude.” Too much information was my first thought, but I remembered how Alex and Arturo were back home, and that some guys were just like that.

  “My bad, man. Seriously though, what’s up?”

  “I imagine you overheard some of it.”

  He nodded.

  “And you know… about…” I wasn’t sure how to raise the subject of his wife being a monster. If he didn’t know, he would likely take whatever I said as an insult. Judging by the look of confusion, he didn’t have the slightest idea. “You know about their history?”

  At this, the confusion went away and he grinned. “You mean how they used to dike out?”

  “Huh?”

  “Bush-munching.” He finished off the first beer and poured more, including topping off my glass. “Yeah, man. She told me all about her experimental phase, and how things had gotten crazy, even involving the Yakuza. Hence the shotgun, which she managed to smuggle back on our last trip to the U.S. My uncle will miss that bad boy, but whatever.”

  “You’re saying those two were lovers?”

  “Your lady and my wife?” He laughed, then nodded. “Imagine that, huh? And a third, I think. It’s crazy to imagine that shit.” Leaning forward, his eyes narrowed. “If they want to hook up again, and want us involved… what should we do?”

  I leaned back, setting down my beer. “I don’t think that’d happen.”

  “Come on, man. I’m just asking. Bro to bro. You’d be down, right? No sword crossing or anything like that. Hell, I wouldn’t even look at you. But… it’s cool, right?”

  “It is not.” I hadn’t meant to cut him off like that, but the idea of him fantasizing about getting Ahlaksiz in the bed with his wife… and me… was simply too much.

  He frowned, then laughed and went for the beer again. “Cool, man, I was just checking. You know, to be ready in case that comes up. Now I know.”

  The fact that he’d brought this up so soon after meeting me left a sour taste in my mouth, but that was quickly taken care of by the amazing food his friend brought out. First came the smell of charred meat, then the tray of meat on skewers—and not only meat, either, but some deep-fried veggies and other goodies.

  Greg invited his friend to join, and soon the three of us were quite tipsy, if not drunk, with bellies sticking out from all the amazing food. To my relief, the question of an orgy or lady-swapping didn’t come up again, and soon the two guys were sharing stories with me about drunken nights out on the town.

  “Are you going to Tokyo while you’re in the country?” his friend, whose name was Kazu, asked.

  “I hope so,” I replied.

  Greg grinned, pointing at me. “Watch out, man. That city’s amazing, but there are parts of Shinjuku where you’ll be wandering around and suddenly end up surrounded by little shops with pictures of the ladies willing to do bad things for money.”

  “Careful?” Kazu laughed. “Nothing wrong with having fun.”

  “Believe me,” Greg nudged his buddy, “Ferris here has no lack of the puntang pie. I bet he gets his fill many times a day.”

  “Sou da?”

  I shrugged, not liking the idea of kissing and telling, but also feeling quite the buzz from the beer and proud to hold the title of “The Man” for the first time in my life. A smile formed on my lips, and that was enough to get them raising their glasses and clapping me on the back.

  One question I couldn’t push aside, though, was my curiosity regarding this guy Greg and his potentially not knowing he was married to a monster. He had to know, right? If not, was there some spell she had him on that kept him from noticing the monster characteristics of my group?

  “Kazu here is a bit of a player,” Greg said, grinning and motioning to his buddy.

  The Japanese guy winked, then held up three fingers. “Never more than three, never less. That’s the rule.”

  “Never less?” I asked.

  “If I break up with one, I find another. Just like that. But not three at once, no, no. That would be too confusing. Where to put the hands?”

  “Where, indeed.” I chuckled into my beer, then took a drink and swished it around in my mouth, remembering the first time when both Kinara and Jalee had been involved. It was true that the more of them that got involved, the more I had to worry about pleasing all of them, but it wasn’t as difficult as he made it out to be. For one, I’d always considered myself good at delegation or letting a team run on its own, once you got it going. In a way it was like that—the other ladies knew how to take care of each other. And if not, they would find a way to get involved with me or please themselves.

  “You’re crazy,” I told him, and laughed.

  Soon we moved the fun out to the patio, which was set up with tables, heaters, and folded umbrellas. Scattered here and there on the patio were potted trees, large enough to provide shade and add to the ambiance. The best part was that it looked out over the surrounding hills, a train track visible coming out from between two of them so we could sit here and enjoy our beer while watching nature and the occasional train pass by. I told them about my place in California, and Greg was excited to tell me he had family about an hour and a half south, depending on traffic. Down by Legoland, I noted, then had to explain to Kazu what Legoland was, and he got excited about the new Mario stuff in Tokyo.

  “Someday, I’ll take my kids to all these places,” he said.

  “You have children?”

  He grinned and shrugged. “I might!”

  More laughs sounded, though at that point I was starting to think of him as more of a sketchball than anything else. My head was starting to spin; when Greg offered me another beer, I finally had to call it.

  “One too many already,” I said, leaning back to watch the tracks in the distance. “How about you, taking the kid to see Mario?”

  Greg grinned. “First I need to get to Tokyo Disneyland. Still haven’t been.”

  “Ever? But you live in Japan.”

  He laughed. “It’s a bit of a ways from here, and it’s not like we have a lot of time, especially now.”

  “I guess not.” As of that moment, I decided I needed to get to Tokyo Disneyland one of these days.

  “Where are you from?” I asked.

  “Here,” Kazu replied.

  “Austin, Texas,” Greg answered. “It’s been a while though. Came out here for an exchange program, and managed to finagle my way into staying. Then I met Yuki, and the rest was history.”

  “That’s awesome. I think Austin is great, too, but compared to living in Japan?”

  He laughed. “Nothing beats living out here. Although, it gets tiring.”

  “Tiring?” Kazu guffawed. “He thinks it’s hard being the gaijin who gets all the attention.”

  Greg shook his head. “It’s great when you’re single, but now it’s about fitting in, making friends. My Japanese is okay, not great. Nobody wants to be the one to invite the non-Japanese-speaking American to a party.”

  “You have the dark hair,” I pointed out, “skin’s kinda tanned…”

  “Are you trying to argue I could fit in here? Not a chance, man. They see me coming a kilometer away.”

  I nodded, conceding, and leaned back to stare at the tops of the trees waving to and fro, enjoying the wind on my warm cheeks. A low rumbling sounded, which I interpreted to mean another train incoming.

  “Maybe we should get back?”

  “I have my cell.” Greg patted his pocket. “If they want us back, they’ll call.”

  When the umbrellas and heaters started rattling, then swaying along with the ground beneath me, I realized I’d been wrong about it being a train.

  “Earthquake,” Greg shouted, bracing himself.

  Kazu, on the other hand, simply laughed, trying to chug his beer before the ground stopped moving. He mostly succeeded, except that almost all of it ended up spilled on his shirt and pants.

  “Look at that,” he said when the shaking stopped. “I better get changed.”

  As he walked inside, I frowned and asked, “He’s leaving?”

  “Nope, he sleeps here half the time so has extra clothes.” Greg checked his cell, then groaned. “That earthquake seems to have ruined our fun. The ladies want us back.”

  “Probably to check on us,” I replied. “Call ’em?”

  “If I know Yuki, she’s freaking out. Every time there’s an earthquake, she gets insane, mumbling about outside forces trying to find her or something. I know, it’s batshit.”

  He eyed me at that and winked.

  “You know?” I asked.

  “Not exactly, but I’ve figured things out. My child is half—eyes glowing sometimes, and you think I’d live with Yuki this long without overhearing her conversations? She tries to hide it, and I let her, but I have a secret of my own.”