Blade Song

Chapter 27-From Well to Ocean

Arinaga took a modest bite of meat and chewed it slowly. "Hm. Seems it was a success after all."

I focused on the man sitting next to him. He wore the same dead expression he'd had since the moment he got here. There was no hesitation as he cut pieces of veal and put them in his mouth, no flinching as they slowly slid down his throat. The vomit I'd pushed down before threatened to find its way up again.

"Your companion doesn't look so well, Kiyoshi." Arinaga sipped his wine and focused his dark eyes on me. "Surely, you aren't planning on wasting the food I've provided. I wouldn't condone such rude behavior."

I looked back down at my plate. There was no way I could do this. I'd thought I was prepared for this place, for the man Arinaga was. In my life, I'd endured countless experiences of pain and humiliation. I'd watched so many tortured and killed in front of my eyes while I stood idle. All this I was prepared for, but to eat children? This was beyond me.

"She's more accustomed to table scraps, if anything at all. All this rich food must be getting to her, but don't worry." Kiyoshi hooked one clawed finger around the rim of my plate and drug it to him. "It's so delicious. I'll eat hers as well."

I think that was the most mercy anyone had ever shown me.

My heartbeat didn't return to normal until they took those dreadful plates away. They brought a selection of crackers and cheese after that. Then they moved on to slices of chocolate cake. None of it mattered. It all tasted like sandpaper now.

At last, we were given small cookies that looked like seashells and our wine glasses were taken away and replaced with cups of hot coffee. Finally, this terrible dinner was at an end.

"I suppose it's finally time to get down to the real business," Arinaga said.

He rang his bell and the butler appeared at his side once more. The demon muttered something in the old man's ear, and as before, he bowed and disappeared. When he entered the room again, he was carrying a small stack of papers which he set in front of Kiyoshi. The fox flipped through each page carefully, his eyes drifting back and forth as he read them.

"Ever the cautious one." Arinaga chuckled. "I knew I picked the right one to take over the business."

I couldn't summon up my mantra. My head was too numb, just a jumble of words. It was all I could do to sit up straight and remain still.

"Tell me, Arinaga, what will you do when you retire?" Kiyoshi asked without looking up from the papers.

"Hmm." Arinaga tapped his finger on the edge of his coffee cup. "I do wonder. I've made this place my life. Even before I took over for my father officially, I was working here. I suppose I'll have to find myself a hobby, or other ways to entertain myself."

His gaze shifted to the human sitting next to him, and for the first time, I saw the vacant look leave his eyes, replaced briefly by a look of fear. Arinaga didn't miss it either, as his lips spread into a smile.

"I suppose I should thank you for not having any children. It would have destroyed my chances," Kiyoshi said.

Arinaga sighed and gave a shrug. "I'm sure I could have found someone willing to bear a child for business purposes in exchange for living a nice life, but the thought just didn't interest me much. Perhaps I should thank you for saving me some uncomfortable evenings."

The fox smirked as he signed his name to the final page of the stack of papers. "I'm glad it worked out for both of us." He placed the papers back in order and clicked them into a neat stack against the table.

"Finished? Excellent." He rang his bell once more.

The butler returned and collected the stack, bowing before disappearing silently.