Page 56 of Son of Shadows

Truer words had never been spoken.

Ryuichi-kage took Koichi’s arm and pulled him forward. “Come on. We have to hurry.”

Leaving the more civilized section of town, they wove their way into the rougher area. There was a definite line of demarcation, where towering, gleaming buildings gave way to rickety shacks with broken windows. Near the docks, Koichi found what he was looking for. A nice, seedy-looking izakaya, where raucous voices thundered over the clinking of glasses.

Here he would find flowing drinks, loose lips, and creatures with no morals. No better combination in the world when looking for insider information.

As Koichi neared the door, he saw two larger yōkai with monkey heads and tails shove a smaller, one-eyed yōkai into a rain barrel. Ryuichi-kage slowed down to watch.

“That’ll teach you manners!” one of the larger ones yelled.

Home sweet home.

The riffraff of the world were all the same. Predators and prey.

Koichi was in his natural habitat.

Now it was time for this old ronin to get himself some liquid joy and important intel.

As he started up the stairs, a tengu came stumbling out and bumped into him. Whatever they had in there, it had to be strong to knock a yōkai off its feet.

Meanwhile, Ryuichi-kage moved back to the shadows so he could follow without being seen. Koichi had to admit that knowing there was someone else waiting to pounce on the enemy if need be felt good. He would take the secret to his grave though.

Inside the izakaya was the loudest, scummiest, most vile place one could imagine. The smell alone was enough to send a man’s soul to the underworld, and every yōkai inside looked like they had dropped straight from the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down. Each one was hunched over with a scowl. Even the ones without faces managed to look like they were a single word away from starting a fight.

My people . . .

Koichi was finally home. A single tear welled up in his eye.

It’s so beautiful. And it did him good to know that these types of places existed everywhere. Even in the land of the yōkai.

Remember: You’re on a mission. He had to keep his focus on what needed to be done and not on the plentiful drinks being served one after the other.

Don’t get distracted.

Koichi swaggered over to one of the low tables and signaled a waiter with ten eyes and scaly green skin. “Sake, please.”

The waiter gave him a peculiar frown. “Sake? We don’t have that here. Kagemura’s a dry town.”

“What?”

The server shrugged. “Thought everyone knew. Ever since Lord Inumagami came, all alcoholic drinks have been cut off. Said it was helping produce a criminal element. Food’s good, though, if you’re hungry.”

Stunned by those words, Koichi felt his heart stop.

Oh, the agony . . .

This sacred place was a temple to evil. It had tricked him! He could hardly imagine anything more rotten.

An izakaya with no sake.

Was there no justice in this life?

“What about that yōkai I saw as I entered?” Koichi asked. “He was stumbling outside. Surely you’ve got something good back there to knock him off his feet.”

The server snorted. “He’s just clumsy. Last time, he fell down the stairs and nearly broke his neck.”

Koichi raised an eyebrow. “Really?”