Chapter Text
"Wake up, Sakuya..." murmured a voice.
The boy yawned as he stretched lazily. His messy black hair fell over his bright red eyes.
Who would think he is the reincarnation of Ashiya Douman?
He didn't believe it at first. He was different from Douman—or at least, that's what he thought. But then Abe no Seimei appeared, proposing that he work for him, and Suzaku convinced him with a rather generous amount of money.
Of course he accepted.
And Seimei, just like that, told him he was the reincarnation of Ashiya Douman. No warning, no preamble.
Suzaku, on the other hand, wore a patch over his right eye. He was a god. A god—Sakuya thought gods didn’t even exist.
"Why should I work with you guys?" Sakuya had asked, suspicious.
Suzaku smiled seriously, while Seimei looked out the window, unconcerned.
"Because it's your fault I no longer have my other eye... I gave it so you could see," Suzaku replied, touching his own patch with two fingers.
At that moment, Sakuya's right eye burned. A warm, invisible yet tangible flame appeared in his pupil. Suzaku slowly lowered his hand, grinning from ear to ear.
"Are you saying this eye... is yours? So you're not even asking my opinion, are you?"
And just like that, Sakuya Michinori ended up forced to work for those two.
Two years had passed since then. Now he worked as a lawyer, covering up the supernatural scandals and accidents occurring at that secret academy—a refuge for youkai.
Seimei was the director. Suzaku, the vice-director. The latter often dressed in Chinese-style clothes, his long black hair always tied up: sometimes in a ponytail, sometimes in a bun, and occasionally in elaborate braids. Suzaku always changed his hairstyle.
"You could at least give me five more minutes of sleep before throwing divine or dark responsibilities at me," Sakuya complained, crossing his arms.
"I could, but it's more fun watching you grumble in the morning," replied Suzaku, sitting down with a cup of tea.
"Right, by the way, what’s your eye like under that patch? Is it dark? Or do you already have another one? When exactly did you give me your eye, because I don’t remember...?"
"Oh, that was when you were born. I felt Ashiya-dono’s soul reincarnate in a baby. But that baby was born with only one eye; the other was rotten. So, being a good god, I gave my eye to that baby—which is you."
Why would he do that? What the hell was Douman to Suzaku, who occasionally called him into the break room or his office just to stare at his face and then leave? What a weirdo.
It’s like he's trying to see the onmyoji, but then quickly gets up to handle other matters.
Sakuya sighed tiredly as he looked at Haruaki-sensei, the new teacher, a descendant of Seimei. He hadn’t even revealed his face; he never left his office, only used the microphone to call teachers. And only his chair was turned backward, so no one could see his face. He was basically anonymous.
Suzaku sat by the open window, sipping tea calmly and occasionally glancing at Seimei.
"Another broken window," Suzaku joked, then looked at Michinori. "Michinori, take care of the expenses and come up with an excuse for the press."
"Sure..." Sakuya replied, watching as Haruaki apologized a thousand times.
"Well, all settled. We can ask the P.E. teacher, Kurahashi, to help you out," said Seimei, making a hand gesture to dismiss them. And so they left.
Another god, Seimei's shikigami… Are all these gods tied to this academy?
Suzaku, then Kurahashi, and even Ebisu...
"Are you seriously not going to give me a break from all this? I've been a damn lawyer for two years and haven’t had a single day off!"
"Resting is for mortals, Sakuya. We’re not here to make things easy."
"I'm mortal, for your information," Sakuya growled, arms crossed.
He only heard Seimei chuckle softly, with that smooth, mocking voice that always irritated him.
"Oh, right. I forgot."
This guy, even though he has the same face as Haruaki-sensei, is completely different. He’s not reserved or shy. He’s a sly, charming, and dangerously manipulative fox.
As if the universe decided to confirm it, a damned joke of fate struck Sakuya: an electric shock ran through his body when he bumped into a Raijū youkai. The little creature, shaped like a rat covered in lightning, had darted out from some corner as if fleeing the fires of hell.
"Agh, damn it!" Sakuya shouted, falling backward in a violent spasm.
From a corner, Kou—the former Raijin god, with ash-white hair and eyes as gray as mist—just watched with concern… but not for him. His gaze was fixed on the little spark-covered rat.
"Raijū... be more careful," he murmured, slowly approaching.
"Sakuya!" shouted Fuujin, Kou's older brother, now going by the human name Rin. He came running, his scarf trailing behind him. Seeing Sakuya on the floor, he immediately crouched and held him by the shoulders. His face showed no expression. "Are you okay? Did you get shocked again?"
Sakuya growled through clenched teeth.
"Again?! Why does no one control their supernatural pets in this hellish school!?"
"It’s not a pet, it’s my—" Kou started to explain, but Sakuya shot him a murderous look.
"Don't say 'elemental soulmate' or I swear I’ll jump out the window."
Rin, unfazed, let out a soft sigh as he picked up the little creature in his arms.
"You really should stop attracting electricity, Sakuya-san. Or at least wear rubber soles. If something happens to this rat and Kou cries, I’ll personally make sure you end up just like this poor, miserable animal."
"I’m a lawyer, not a storm hunter! And don’t threaten me."
Seimei, from the office door, just nodded silently… and laughed again.
Finally home, he collapsed onto the bed, not caring whether he should shower or change clothes.
"Acchan, wake up..."
Who’s Acchan? Also, he felt strong tugs. His eyes opened. He was on a futon. The first face he saw was Suzaku.
What is Suzaku doing here? And wait, that outfit isn’t his usual one. His hair is short, and his eyes are uncovered.
"Acchan, you're going to be late for the meeting you scheduled," said Ranmaru, noticing the fixed gaze. Why was he being stared at like that?
He simply nodded, while Suzaku—or rather, the person who looked like Suzaku—dressed him shamelessly. Didn’t he have any decency?
He looked at himself in the mirror… and screamed.
He had a mark on his right eye. What the hell happened!? And his hair… it was purple.
"Suzaku! My hair, my eye…! Ahhh! Where am I?! I want to go back to my world!" he shouted, completely freaking out.
But… he could still see Douman's soul in him.
So why did he say he wasn’t him?
But he stopped when he saw Ranmaru cough into his tea, clearly trying not to laugh.
"Acchan, are you still mad at me for eating your pudding? I'm sorry..." he said, throwing himself on top of him.
He expected a punch. He shut one eye in anticipation. But nothing happened.
Is Acchan pretending?, he thought, confused.
“Alright, tell me what happened before I woke you up here?”
“Before that, I accidentally bumped into a Raijū, and then I got home and woke up here.”
“Raijū? Maybe that youkai electrocuted you?” he asked.
“Yeah, did that rat have something to do with this?”