—
Though it had no windows, the empty teahouse was warmly lit by the glow of fireflies, flying freely across the shop’s high ceiling. A sky filled with dancing stars. An old woman dressed in a simple kimono looked up from a wooden counter that grewfrom the shop’s mossy floor. Behind her, knobby shelves displayed an assortment of tea stored in clay jars.
“Hana?” A smile spread over Asami’s face, crinkling the lines around her eyes.
“Sobo.” Hana ran to her grandmother and embraced her tightly.
Asami hugged her back. “What a nice surprise. Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?” She glanced at Keishin. “And who is your friend?”
Keishin hesitated, unsure of how Asami would react to his presence.
Hana gave him a quick look, prodding him to answer.
“I’m…uh…Minatozaki Keishin.” Keishin bowed to her.
“I thought I had met all of Hana’s friends,” Asami said, eyeing him.
“Keishin is…” Hana drew away from her grandmother’s arms. “Not from here.”
Keishin held his breath.
“Not from here?” Asami furrowed her brow.
“He is from the other world.”
Asami’s hand flew over her mouth. “What have you done, Hana? Why did you bring him here?”
“Keishin is helping me find my father.”
The veins on Asami’s neck tightened. “Your father? Why? What happened?”
“I woke up this morning and found the pawnshop ransacked and Otou-san…gone.”
Color drained from Asami’s lips. “Did the Shiikuin—”
“No.” Hana clasped her grandmother’s hands. “They are looking for him too. That is why I need to find him first. He left clues that led us here.”
“We were hoping that you would have some answers,” Keishin said.
Asami ignored him, fixing a sharp gaze on Hana. “This is about your mother, isn’t it? Your father paid me the strangest visit two moons ago. He said the oddest things about her. I thought that he must have been overworked or drunk. I told him to go home and rest.”
“What did he say?” Hana said.
“Foolishness.” Asami shook her head. “It would shame me to repeat it.”
Hana gripped her grandmother’s hands tighter. “But it might help us find him.”
Keishin bit his lip, resisting the urge to jump in and help Hana plead their case. It was clear that Asami did not want him there.
“Forget about all of this. Go home, Hana.”
“I cannot. You know what the Shiikuin will do to him if they find him first. You must tell me what my father told you. We are not leaving here until you do.”
“You are as stubborn as your mother. I will not lose you too.”
“You won’t. I promise.”
“That is not a promise you can make. Only the Shiikuin can decide your fate. They will make you suffer as your mother did.”
