Part 3

As I travelled, I would help out around the great chefs, or fish with the fishermen, or serve at tables, or fulfill bounties to kill monsters. Where ever I worked, I was asked to stay and offered greater pay than usual. Mainly because their business quadrupled in the time I worked with them. It was during this time I learned about the different realms.

I ventured to the apparent realm and quickly learned that I needed to use glamour to hide my horns and eyes. Luckily, this was at a time when ayakashi was able to be seen by most easily. At this time, many of the ayakashi were also killed out of fear.

Later, I found that only the strongest ayakashi could be seen, and they had to be disguised. Most ayakashi, by then, chose to live in the hidden realm. I did a lot of transient work to get by in the apparent realm.

I kept the apparent and hidden realm money in my room, the all sack I had bought with the hidden realm's money in the hidden realm. It was easier to travel that way if you didn't want your stuff stolen or travel without some comfort. The sack could not be stolen off me either unless I gave it away myself. It stayed with me.

It was fun learning different professions. My favourite was being a university history teacher. However, that was the most challenging job to achieve of the ones I tried, not because I was terrible at history, but instead, I had to suffer human schooling to become one. It's relatively easy being a history teacher when you have lived the history. However, I could only work for a period of time before I had to "die" and reinvent myself elsewhere. I became very adept at forging new identities and looks.

Backing up a bit, during the grand inquisition, many people who could see the ayakashi were killed as witches. The few remaining humans who could see us all learned not to say anything.

Most of the ones remaining seemed to be in China and Japan as they seemed to embrace the ayakashi rather than persecute them. Most of my interactions after 100 years in the apparent realm stayed in Japan. There was a business that I ran in the apparent that I had occasionally had to travel with, mostly though I left the company to the director appointed. My accountant in the hidden realm kept an eye on his/her honesty. If he suspected the untoward happening, I would then investigate and usually fire them. I am glad that my hidden realm accountant, Byakuya, is so reliable. Although, I didn't meet him until after I had bought the tea house.

I came across this lovely old tea room and offered the owner Souji to purchase it. Initially, the Souji refused. I worked with Souji for a while, and again business flourished. Souji, by this time, wanted to retire, so he agreed to sell me it provided I always looked after him. I thought it was a great deal. The only change being everything was now on my shoulders. I was surprised to know that my quaint teahouse was on an enormous block of land that went all the way up to the mountains and the hot springs up there. The size just staggered me. I understood then why Souji was reluctant to sell. I thought I was only buying the teahouse. He thought he was selling the lot.

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