Hanabi

Chapter 24: Advice

- Are you going to give me trouble now?

The tall samurai simply stared at Haruna, not giving any signs of acknowledging her question besides looking at her fixedly. Haruna would just go ahead, walk right through him and get the katana, but she was afraid he could do something really stupid like causing a mess. He didn’t give her a dangerous impression, but she had to be careful anyway.

But they just had five minutes.

- Fur ball, I need you to do something for me.

- You better say it fast.

Haruna knew Tomoko was right behind her, but she wouldn’t look back at her. She didn’t want to take her eyes off that ghost.

- Go downstairs and freak that guard out like we planned, disappear with the things you used to tie him and all. You can turn into a cat again and get there then get out unnoticed, right?

- I guess so. – Haruna thought she noticed very clear signs of annoyance on Tomoko’s voice - Are you sure you can handle this?

- I have to. Do that and wait for me outside, I’m sure Rina will get what we’re doing and guide me out if there are guards around.

- Alright then, get your ass outside in less than five minutes and bring that katana with you.

Right after she finished the sentence, Haruna just heard her going out and closing that door again.

“What are you two doing?!”

The brunette completely ignored Rina’s frightened words.

- Why do you seek this katana? - the ghost suddenly spoke before Haruna could do anything, his voice echoing in the room in the same eerie way she was already used to. He sounded serious and determined.

It looked like he had a bloody hole on his chest, close enough to the heart. That was definitely the cause of his death.

- I need to get rid of some annoying demons. - she answered him the lowest she could, worried about the guards in the gallery hearing her - I’m sure you understand that, if you’re guarding Akai.

- There are Oni haunting you?

He crossed his arms in front of his injured chest, never moving from his place between Haruna and the desk over which the katana was. So she was right in assuming he was there as a guardian. She wondered what that particular spirit was capable of to keep the sword from getting stolen by regular thieves. Haruna surely could see him, but most people wouldn’t have any idea about his presence unless he armed a scandal like a yuurei. He wasn’t a yuurei though.

- Not me. They are haunting a friend of mine. I need to help her, she did nothing to deserve something like this.

- How can I know you’re not lying? How can I know you’ll only use the katana the way it was intended to be used?

Haruna clenched her fists, taking a deep breath. She didn’t have time for this nonsense, she had to get herself back in the sewers right now.

Meanwhile, cat-Tomoko was already in the main hallway down in the first floor, and she could see clearly that the guards seemed to be preparing to change their shifts. The one far ahead, outside the glass doors of the museum, was stretching himself and even taking a look at his phone. She could see him and hear the nearby ones easily as a cat, she kept all of her nekomata senses in that form.

After crossing the hallway, walking quickly over that granite floor, she entered the smaller galleries again and immediately saw the guard still tied and gagged on the floor. But he wasn’t exactly where they left him, he somehow moved closer to the entrance and seemed to be trying to free himself. Tomoko would grin if she could. She didn’t exactly expect to find him awake waiting for her like that.