Ichiro resigned himself to staying silent and letting Kumiko ask the questions while Izumi led them towards her house. After all, even if he was supposed to be the medium, the fact remained that his wife was more qualified to deal with the supernatural than he was. 

In the meantime, he lowered his head and hoped for the chance to prove himself soon.

"Forgive me if I'm being too forward, but would you mind telling why the girl in your store was crying?"

Izumi responded with a derisive chuckle. "Oh, her. She's one of my few remaining employees."

"Few? How many do you have exactly?"

"Enough to keep the business going, which is all that matters." 

"I see." Kumiko glanced back at Ichiro in uncertainty. "You mentioned a friend earlier. Could you tell us about them?"

Izumi chuckled a second time. "Not really. They're the reclusive kind, and chances are you won't even see them today..." 

"Uh... thank you for the information," Kumiko replied, unable to conceal her doubt and making Ichiro feel a little more anxious. "How much longer?"

"It's right across the road." Izumi stopped and pointed at the two-storey house located on the other side of the street. Its pristine white exterior and smooth gray roof tiles reminded Ichiro of the castles of old, and he wondered how many of them were still standing. 

He walked across the quiet street behind the two women until they reached the front doorstep of Izumi's residence. Izumi flung the door open without the use of a key, then beckoned him and Kumiko inside. "Come on. There's nothing to be afraid of..."

Kumiko heeded Izumi's assurance and entered the house first. Ichiro followed with his shoulders hunched in fear. He still couldn't figure out a reason for their client's odd behavior, so he hoped that Kumiko had already deduced the answer. Of course, he also didn't want her to take over this particular assignment and overshadow him yet again. That simply wouldn't stand. 

"So, tell us about this ghost," Ichiro made sure to ask the moment his shoes were off, since he couldn't afford to waste time. "Do you know what it's done so far?"

Izumi smirked despite it being inappropriate for the situation. "I would say the living room is its favorite haunt. I can show you there if you want."

"Well..." Ichiro lost confidence and looked at the unfazed Kumiko. "What do you say?"

Kumiko stepped into a pair of bright pink slippers and stood tall. "There's only way to find out, so let's get on with it."

"Be my guest." Izumi slid the living room door open for them to pass through and slammed it as soon as Ichiro had crossed the threshold. He stumbled in shock and bumped into Kumiko, who managed to regain her footing before turning around. 

"Are you okay?" 

"Yes. I'm sorry," Ichiro apologized.

"No harm done." Kumiko scanned the living room and much of its quaint decor. "I don't sense anything in here, but how about I inspect the couch and you check behind the TV? Those seem like the best hiding spots."

"Actually, I-" Ichiro began to protest, but Kumiko left his side without a moment of hesitation. He frowned, unable to overlook the blatant disrespect. You bitch. What's gotten into you?

He clenched his fists and stormed towards to the television. It sat on top of its wooden cabinet like an emperor on a throne, taunting him with what it was capable of. Ichiro made out his distorted reflection in the idle black screen as he grasped the device with both hands. 

You accursed thing, he thought with seething yet justified hatred. If you try to enslave me again, I swear that I'll... I'll... destroy you! 

With a scream, he ripped the television away from its throne, causing the power cords to be yanked along with it. This act of defiance thrilled him to the core, so he made doubly sure of the television's destruction by lifting it high above his head and then flinging it straight at the wooden floor. Glass shattered everywhere upon impact, shredding past his socked feet as Kumiko let out a gasp of horror behind him. 

"Ichiro... what the fuck?"

Ichiro wiped the sweat off his forehead with one arm and observed the mess he had made. He grinned in triumph, knowing that the first of many modern evils had just been done away with. He turned and stared into Kumiko's bewildered eyes. "What are you looking at? I'm doing noble work here!"

Kumiko took a deep breath and stood up with arms akimbo. "No. You've broken private property and we're going to have to pay for it."

"Ha!" Ichiro refused to let such words discourage him. "So be it. I'll just destroy yours when we get home!"

Kumiko sighed and laid a hand against her face. "I can't believe this. The amanojaku has gotten to you as well..." 

"What?" Ichiro said in surprise as his joy dissipated. "Why would you think that? These are my own actions! My own free will!"

"That's just what the amanojaku wants you to think. They provoke people to act on their dark desires, and in your case, it's breaking anything that you consider modern." 

"No!" Ichiro argued back. He raised his trembling hands, then focused on the restrictive clothes that had been trapping him for the past week. "I'll show you that I'm still me! Just you watch!" 

He pulled off his sweater and let it fall upon the surrounding shards of glass before grabbing the collar of his shirt and tearing downwards so that he could be free. Unfortunately, his hands only made it halfway before Kumiko rushed forward to grab his arms. 

"Okay, that's enough. I'm not the only woman here..." She looked up at him pleadingly. "I know you don't believe me, but you have to fight your emotions. Don't let them win..." 

Ichiro blinked and caught sight of his half-exposed chest. He swallowed while coming to terms with his excessive earlier behavior. "My gods. What have I done?" 

"We'll think about that later. I can still sense Izumi, so she's probably hiding somewhere."

"Izumi? Isn't she human?"

Kumiko's expression grew stoic as she let go of his arms. "Beyond a doubt, but the amanojaku must have possessed her to catch us off-guard. We'll have to subdue her and find a way to force the demon out." 

"Oh. How do you suppose we should do that?" Ichiro asked, becoming even more dejected at his powerlessness, since there was no telling when he would lose control again. 

"Simple," Kumiko whispered. "Amanojaku are contrarians, so we'll trick this one into revealing itself."

"Huh?"

"But be creative about it, you know? We can't be too obvious."

"I suppose that's wise."

Kumiko assumed a large but forced smile while taking his hand and turning her head towards the living room door. "Great, let's go. Remember your happy face."

"Hey, Mister Amanojaku!" she called out once they were outside the living room. "You're a real ugly guy, you know that? I'm so glad you've chosen to hide!"

Ichiro glanced at Kumiko, then followed her cue by thinking of his own taunt. "That's right! You can never compete with someone as hot as me!"

Kumiko gave him a stunned look. "What?"

"It's nothing."

"Alrighty." She went back to facing the stairwell in front of them. "Did you hear that, Mister Amanojaku? If it's beauty you're looking for, I'm right here! Come and get me!"

The stairs creaked as a small, frail and goblinlike creature with dull red skin came scuttling down. It skidded across the floor while wearing a scowl on its face and waving its spindly arms. "The audacity!" it screeched in a voice that was difficult to discern as being male or female. "I shall make a fool of you like with that other woman and your stupid boyfriend!"

The amanojaku sprung into the air and dove straight towards Kumiko. Ichiro realized what was happening and bolted forward in an attempt to stop the demon, only to feel none other than his wife's foot make contact with his left thigh. A shockwave passed through his body, causing him to fly straight into the amanojaku before they both fell to the floor.

"Ichiro, I'm so sorry!" Kumiko cried out, bring both hands up to her face. "I didn't mean to kick you! Are you okay?"

Tears streamed from Ichiro's eyes while the amanojaku squirmed under his weight. He tried to soothe the sharp pain shooting through his core by rubbing at his pelvis. It didn't work. 

"No... it hurts so much..."

Kumiko extended her arms and leaned forward as if planning to help him up. However, she retreated a moment later. "On second thought, just stay put until your body heals. The longer you sit on that demon, the better."

"Eh?" Ichiro clenched his teeth and saw that the amanojaku had stopped moving as a result of its head being buried beneath his thighs. "Have I just...?"

"Yes," said Kumiko. "Call it a fluke if you want."

Ichiro groaned before collapsing completely on the floor. The pain in his core was beginning to subside, but he was just too exhausted to defy Kumiko's orders. He gazed up at the expansive white ceiling. 

"I can't believe this. What a day it has been..."