Lady Misaki leaned her head in one hand with a sigh when Ichiro finished recounting his life. "I must say again that I envy you, brother. You received everything you wanted in a spouse, while I was forced to spend countless nights with my brutish master because he couldn't have any other woman. He even tricked me into converting so the Church would stop condemning his behavior..."

Ichiro clutched the edge of the table. "Am I hearing this correctly? He made you forsake your religion?"

"He claimed the baptism was a coming-of-age ceremony from his homeland. I didn't suspect the truth until the priest began reciting scripture and pouring water over my head." She drew a deep breath. "From then on, until the end of my life, I was known as Isabel, former slave and second wife of Francisco, who had left his first behind in Portugal."

"How dare he..."

"Indeed," Lady Misaki said monotonously. "But one day, he saw fit to take me away from Macau and to the distant land of Goa. We boarded the ship, and something broke inside of me. I knew I would never truly be free, so I ventured above deck and threw myself into the waves, never to be found again."

Ichiro felt his palms grow numb and uncurled his fingers. "I'm sorry. I wish I had the power to find all those people and make them suffer like you did..."

Lady Misaki reached across the table to touch his hand. "Please don't think this way. It was a long time ago and it's not our business to judge their sins."

Ichiro looked into his sister's earnest eyes, and realized there was a flaw to her story. "Wait. If you were converted to Christianity, then how did you end up in the afterlife? Wouldn't the gods have forsaken you?"

"It's a complicated matter, brother. I'm afraid the specifics would confuse you."

"Don't take me for a fool. I've learnt a lot during my time here."

"Very well, if you insist." Lady Misaki placed both hands in her lap and spent a while in thought. "I was never a true believer in my master's faith, so I daresay that was the reason I awoke in the realm of Yomi. I walked through the cold and shadows until I reached a riverbank, and a man in a boat called my name so he could take me to the other side."

Ichiro blinked. "If this is what happens in the Underworld, why can't I remember any of it?"

Lady Misaki's expression became cold as she tilted her head forward. "Don't tell anyone this, but it is customary for souls to have their memories of Yomi wiped before reincarnation. Most often to restore their sanity after extensive torture."

Ichiro's throat and abdomen tightened. He feared the possibility that he had gone through such agony, but curiosity ultimately got the better of him. "You've been in the Underworld for a long time. Do you think I would have been tortured?"

His sister's painted red lips curled into a whimsical yet unhinged smile. "It may well have happened, my brother. You've put great effort into seeming like a virtuous young man, but I know the truth. You're even more of a deviant than my master was."

"What are you trying to say?" Ichiro asked while his heart thumped.

Lady Misaki pointed her index finger at him. "At least I still prefer humans. You, on the other hand, like your women on the demonic side."

"What is this I'm hearing?" Hideo stormed into the living room, prompting them to turn their heads. "Stop this conversation at once. Siblings don't pry into each other's intimate lives."

"Of course." Ichiro smiled with great effort. For once, he couldn't complain about the shinigami's tendency to appear at unexpected moments. "How's Kumiko? Is she back yet?"

Hideo glanced over his shoulder. "Yes. It's best you go help her with the laundry."

Ichiro nodded and hurried out of the room so that he could hold the front door open for Kumiko to squeeze through. He tried to avoid dwelling on their past habits while following her to the drying rack. All the while, Lady Misaki craned her neck as if interested in the modern-day method of doing laundry.

With his sister and his wife in the same room, he hoped no animosity or suspicion would arise, as tended to happen when women were forced together in close quarters. He'd heard plenty of stories of concubines turning on each other, as well as ladies of the house being needlessly cruel to their daughters-in-law, and while he knew that Kumiko was above such pettiness, he still wasn't sure if his sister could be trusted to behave well.

For this reason, it haunted him to think that Lady Misaki would soon be returning to the Underworld and taking away any chances to know her better.

******

The time eventually came for Ichiro to see his sister and Hideo off. He kept his breath steady to compose himself while watching Hideo open another swirling portal and gesture for Lady Misaki to enter first. She turned her head to look at him, and he raised his hand to wave goodbye.

"I'll write another letter," he promised, glancing at Kumiko for assurance. "You have to-"

"I wouldn't count on it," Hideo said all of a sudden. "With this mission of mine over, I won't return for a while."

"Oh." Ichiro felt tempted to grab Lady Misaki and pull her away from the portal. "How long will that be?"

"I don't know. It could be a few months, or a few years."

"I cannot stay here," Lady Misaki added. "Your best choice is to wait for Mr. Tanimura."

Her words helped to ground him, and he stepped back to let fate take its course. Lady Misaki lifted the hems of her long robes and stepped into the darkness, vanishing as if she'd been swallowed by a giant mouth. Then, Hideo gave a salute and leaped in after her.

The portal sealed up and just like that, Ichiro was left standing in the quiet living room alongside Kumiko. He turned to face her with an uneasy feeling in his stomach. "Is it really all over?"

"Looks like it," Kumiko replied. "But Hideo has to come back sooner or later. He still hasn't made up with Yukari."

"I sure hope so." Ichiro made his way over to the sofa to give his legs a rest, and he laid eyes on the opaque television screen while contemplating whether he wanted to forget his worries by watching some bizarre performance. Or perhaps a historical drama like the one about Goemon, which he enjoyed despite its many inaccuracies in depicting life during his era.

But that was the purpose of theatre and other forms of entertainment. People like him did not wish to see a mirror of reality. Instead, they wanted to lose themselves in stories utterly divorced from their daily struggles, complete with entrancing music, a dramatic chorus, and stylized movements.

Thus, Ichiro was reminded of another thing he had yet to do in the modern world. He nudged Kumiko in the arm as soon as she sat next to him.

"We have to attend a stage play one of these days. I'd like to see how they compare to what I've seen on television."

Kumiko inhaled as if trying to suppress her distaste for such an idea. "Are you sure about that? Theatre is really expensive these days. It's cheaper to just go to the cinema."

Ichiro could understand her doubts, but he didn't want to be swayed this time. "That shouldn't be a problem. We both work now, and I can go without a few meals if that's what it takes."

Kumiko frowned and sighed. "You are not going to starve yourself. I'll consider it after we pay off our debt to Izumi. How does that sound?"

"Great." Ichiro remembered something from one of the movies she'd shown him and extended his little finger. "Shall we pinkie swear?"

"Fine. You sure learn fast now."

"Is that so?"

Kumiko linked her pinkie finger with his and gave it a shake. "Yes. You're becoming almost as modern as me."

A feeling of pride came over Ichiro, and he smiled, only to realize what had happened to him as a person moments later. He shifted away from Kumiko in unease.

I haven't betrayed my roots, have I?

******

And that concludes this fairly short chapter. After some thought, I've found that this story can be summarized as follows:

First Arc - Ichiro meets Hideo and gets his body back.

Second Arc - Ichiro adjusts to the modern world while trying to contact his sister and find profitable work.

Third Arc - The amanojaku strikes and Ichiro has to become a host to pay off the damage. He meets his sister in person for the first time.

We're moving into the fourth arc right now. I have a fifth arc in mind as well, but with the way things are progressing, I'm not sure it will be necessary anymore. This story might end sooner than I originally planned.