''Yes, that girl's is really me, Kumi!

Not looking sorry at all, Kumi is smiling and looking at me.

''Discovering my true identity with such ease...you are really great, Master.''

''Oh come on, it's already extremely unnatural for a young girl to come here and all of a sudden ask to play mahjong with me.''

''Do you really think so?''

''Has anything like that ever happened before?''

''Now that you mention it...that never happened.''

''I thought that I transformed myself very well, but it seems that some last details weren't good enough.''

''Not just the last, from beginning too!''

''No wonder you're so full of energy even after I took some of it playing mahjong.''

''Haha. The energy that you took from me was originally from you, Master.''

''A plus and a minus equal exactly zero.''

That's why I didn't feel refreshed after winning..''

Shikigami need to take life energy from their Master in order to live and act.

If a Shikigami takes all the life energy at once, the human would becomes a mummy and die.

Normally, Hitokata take life energy from many kinds of natural creatures, but if the Hitokata becomes Shikigami, and bound to a human, the Shikigami can only get it from the Master.

And because Shikigami and the Master share the life energy, their spirits can become highly synchronized, thus their power increases more and more.

''...Um, Master?''

''Hmmm?''

''Did you...have the same dream again?''

''..............................''

''I almost changed back when I saw your tears...''

''It's okay. You don't need to worry about it.''

''............................''

''It was my fault...always bounded by my past...''

''Master...''

''.............................''

''I love you very much, my Master.''

''Kumi......''

''One year ago...when you saved my life...that was when I decided to follow you, my Master.''

One year ago, I saved Kumi's life...

I was taking a stroll in the park of Shibuya one night, and by chance, I saw a group of men about to do...terrible things to a Hitokata.

Even though it was a Hitokata and not a human, doing that to an innocent being was just...I couldn't allow it. Because Hitokata also have a right to live.

I chased off the group, and defeated them with Battle Mahjong.

...To avoid wasting energy, I cheated a little...but it was to save an innocent Hitokata, so God may forgive me.

That Hitokata was Kumi.

Kumi has been calling me Master and following me ever since. In other words, she forced me to accept her as my Shikigami.

It's definitely rare to have a Master/servant relationship without a contract.

Oh well...Kumi is also...a very strange Hitokata...

''You're very strange. You were almost killed, but you still like the human world.''

''That's because...the person who saved my life is also human, Master.''

Kumi is always so pure and positive that I envy her sometimes.

''...Kumi.''

''There are also Hitokata who have black heart, white heart, and different shades of gray heart.''

''I think humans are also the same. As long as my Master is human and as long as I love my Master, it would be impossible for me to hate humans.''

''..........................''

''Er...we may have digressed from the subject.''

''What I want to say is that I care for you, Master. So please cheer up.''

''...Thank you.''

''So...Why were you thinking about playing mahjong with me?''

''Well...because...''

''You know, Master, you haven't been playing any mahjong recently. You've only been doing unfaithfulness investigation requests and waiting in line.''

''......So?''

''So...I thought that it would be a big problem if my Master's mahjong skills get worse...that's why I tested them.''

''I see...''

Kumi...even you know that without using Shikigami, my mahjong skills are not that great...are you hinting at something?

...Nah. She's too simple. Without a good reason, she only thinks that I'm very good at playing mahjong.

''So...how did I do?''

''You know the answer already, Master. As usual, you are very strong. I can't beat my Master in mahjong.''

''......Hahaha.''

''Sorry, Kumi...but, I'm not that good of a mahjong player.''

''I can play better than average, of course...But, comparing against most players of Tobanjan, I'm only a bottom level player.''

''That's not true!! Master, you're the best mahjong player in the world!!''

''You are the only one who says so, Kumi.''

''The others just don't know how strong you are, Master.''

''A person who can increase his own abilities several times with the help of the Shikigami is a Shikigami Master, like me''.

''....................''

''As a Shikigami, you are excellent.''

''Oh, stop it...I'm so embarrassed.''

''By the way, the transformation today was very good.''

''Though I was a little suspicious, I wasn't sure who the girl was at first.''

''How did you manage it so well?''

''Ah. It's because I had a model today.''

''A model?''

After I said that, Kumi appears startled.

''Oh, no! I left Mika in the hallway!!''

''What's the matter?''

Totally surprising me, Kumi rushed to the door.

''I'm so sorry to make you wait. Please come in.''

Trying to ignore her error, Kumi is making lots of noise and dragged the person that was standing outside into the room.

''What's going on??''

''Are you all right, Master?''

''Y- Yes...just a little bit confused.''

''The girl who was playing mahjong with you a little while ago, Master, was me, Kumi. I transformed to look like her.''

''The girl that's here now, Master, is Mika, who is meeting you for the first time.''

''Please don't confuse the two.''

''Oh yeah...you said that you had a model for the transformation...''

''I see, you transformed using her as the model.''

''That's right. But...I didn't know what her body looks like, so I used my own body for that part...''

''What are you talking about?''

''Ahahaha...nothing, nothing.''

''....................?''

''And...why did you bring her here?''

''Did you bring her here to introduce me to your new human friend?''

''No, that's not it at all.''

''You see... You're her only hope!''

''Please help Mika, Master.''

''I don't know exactly what's wrong but...I'll listen to what she has to say to me.''

''Ah...I'm sorry. Well I...suddenly asking for a favor...I probably seem very rude.''

''No, not at all. I was the one that dragged you here.''

''Also, my Master is so kind that he doesn't get angry that easily.''

''Really...?''

''Definitely!''

Somehow I feel that Kumi overlays an image of her ideal Master on top of me through her force of will alone...

''Anyway, I can't do anything if I don't know what your problem is.''

I offered Mika a seat.

''Ah, I'll make some tea for you. I just got some good green tea.''

Kumi ran to the kitchen, located at a corner of the office, and happily begins to make tea.

''Here you are. I brought some rice crackers,too.''

''Wow, thanks.''

''Thank you very much.''

Mika is enjoying her tea, but I can tell she's tense.

I feel a little strange...

Usually, only middle-aged people come here, and they only hire me to investigate the faithfulness of their spouses.

...So being in this kind of situation makes me nervous.

''I...currently live with my mother.''

Maybe the hot tea is calming her down. Looking determined, Mika starts to tell us her story little by little.

''My father...disappeared ten years ago.''

''Sob...That's so sad.''

''You are not the person that should be crying.''

''But...no matter how many times I hear that, it's still so sad.''

''Alright, but listen to her quietly okay?''

''Okay...''

''My father...was very kind and cared a lot for our family.''

''I was just a young girl so I couldn't remember very much, but I do remember that he was a kind person who often played with me.''

''My mother, my father's co-workers, and our neighbors...they all said that my father is not the kind of person who would suddenly abandon his family and disappear.''

''Then...maybe he is involved into some kind of accident?''

''Of course we also called the police but...the police couldn't find anything.''

''Hmm...''

''If it doesn't look like a criminal case, the police won't work that hard.''

''My mother always believed that father will contact her, so she's been waiting. But since then...''

''We haven't heard anything from him.''

''..................................''

''So, you want me to find out what happened to your father?''

''Well...you know, I think it's very difficult since I have no leads to go on at all.''

''Ah, there's something more. Please look at this.''

After Mika said that, she carefully took out a piece of newspaper from her chest pocket, and held it in front of my face.

''What's this...a newspaper article?''

It was a newspaper clipping covered by plastic, very carefully preserved. But at a glance, I couldn't tell why it was so important.

I read the article. It was just normal news about some event around here, nothing special.

''Is there anything special about this article?''

''It's not the article...please look at this photo.''

Mika points to the photo in the article. It looks like some snapshot of Shinjuku street.

''The person in this photo...looks extremely similar to my father.''

''This man..?''

''My mother said so too, so I'm sure that I didn't make a mistake.''

''So, I couldn't bear to wait anymore...and I came to Shinjuku, hoping to find the place in the photo. But...''

''Um...Shinjuku is so different from the places that I'm used to...''

''True. It's a glamorous town of world fame.''

''It's probably too vulgar and a little too much for a princess.''

''P- Please...I'm not a princess.''

''No one said that you are a princess. It's just an example.''

''I- I see...''

Mika came to Shinjuku impulsively, but since Shinjuku is so different from the place she lives...

She was frightened and lost.

Just when she was on the verge of tears, Kumi came out of the office and saw her.

After listening to Mika's problem, Kumi told her that there is someone she can depend on and then brought her here.

And it seems that she digressed from her plan and decided to test my mahjong skills because she suddenly got that impulsive idea...

''I beg you, Master! Please help Mika.''

''Um...I know it is a big bother for you.''

''I'm a college student in a father-less family...I don't have much money....''

''But, I'll definitely pay you back...though that will be after I graduate and get a job...''

''I have no one else to ask...so I beg you, please.''

''I beg you, Master! Please help Mika.''

''.............................''

I am weak when a woman entreats me with sincere eyes...

''Please...I beg you, please.''

''Don't speak in stereo!''

''You want to find out about your father...that badly?''

''Yes!''

''...............................''

''Master...''

''...I see, okay, I'll take the job.''

''T- Thank you very much!''

''I'll start the investigation first thing tomorrow morning.''

''Then...about the cost...''

''Basically, as long as it's enough for me to live normally, it's okay...so for now, just pay me what you can, I don't care.''

''You can pay me the rest once you graduate and get a job.''

''T- Thank you. Really...''

''What unselfishness. That's my Master all right!''

''...............................''

__Part 3__
to Part 2; to Part 4