Chapter 6: Big Baby

Kei slowed down on the rocky campus entrance with the lopsided gate. Suzu braced herself against the car door and almost offered to switch with him. For an hour now, she had endured dizzying turns and near-collisions in the busy Tokyo streets thanks to Kei’s semi-reckless driving. How he even got his license was beyond her, as this trip had felt like a cautionary tale waiting to happen.

Thankfully, the road evened out inside the campus, and the car ventured past the field and around the dilapidated elementary school building.

Suzu looked in awe at the moss-covered statues of philosophers surrounding the playground and the cracked pathways leading to the smaller buildings. Here and there, torn school shoes peeked out the carpet of leaves on the ground, along with the occasional pencil and composition notebook. Through broken windows, she saw chairs and tables lined up in neat rows facing empty chalkboards. Papers on walls flapped in the wind, and a couple of skinny tabbies chased one another across the grounds.

Kei parked the car under the shade of a tree and cut the engine. Behind them, Hanzo jerked awake and asked if they were there. Suzu looked at Kei for an answer because an abandoned elementary school was the last place she had in mind for a tour. She thought he would bring her to Ninomae’s Shibuya branch, or else show her the Waiki Mart franchises around Kanagawa on the way to their office.

Kei uncapped his iced coffee and popped an ice cube into his mouth. Finally noticing Suzu, he eyed her from head to toe and shrugged off his plaid dress shirt.

“Wear this while we’re out.” He tossed it to her lap. “You’ll need it.”

“What for?” She asked, but Kei had already slipped out of the car and slammed the door shut. For someone who had been listening to spa music for over an hour, he looked far from relaxed.

Suzu undid her seatbelt and slipped her arms through the sleeves of his dress shirt. A strong medicinal scent struck her while she was fixing the collar. Making sure Kei wasn’t looking, she held the cuff to her nose and sniffed.

This was similar to the scent she picked up on him in Waiki Mart on the afternoon they met. It wasn’t off-putting, but it did come off as unnatural. In a way, it reminded her of a sick person.

“Aw, Suzu’s being a pervert.”

She jolted on her seat and whipped around to see Hanzo grinning. “N-no, I was—”

“Relax. I’m not going to tell Kei.”

“No, really, it wasn’t like that.”

Hanzo reached below his seat at a hidden compartment to check on something. “It’s the cough syrup scent, isn’t it? He’s reeked of that since we met when he was twenty-two. I’m a bit desensitized to it now, but I still get a whiff when he rehydrates with Waiki water. Oh, here we are.” He pulled out a sheathed katana and presented it to her. “Kei’s proficient in multiple weapons, but he prefers the sword. Of course, he doesn’t lug this around with him, so we keep them in the van until they’re needed. Right now, Kei’s only armed with push daggers and probably a pistol.”

“Why would he be armed right now?” Suzu watched Kei through the windshield.

 He was finishing a bottle of Waiki water and stretching his legs. Mid-rotation on his ankle, he winced and reached down to massage it.

“Ninomae allows him to stay armed as an alternative to using his talent. You’ll understand soon.” Hanzo leaned in the space between the front seats and plucked the sleeve of Kei’s dress shirt. “The uniform you’ll wear in the field will differ from your day-to-day office uniform. Normally, for what we’re about to do, you won’t need any sort of protection. It’s a safe trip, but Kei doesn’t like to take unnecessary chances. Active talents like Kei have a specific scent—like a pheromone—that makes them less threatening to Supernatural beings. By wearing that, you become less visible or threatening to whatever we encounter.”

“But he gets rid of them, doesn’t he? Why would they not be threatened by him?”

“In a general sense, yes, he does get rid of them.” Hanzo tented his fingers, business-like. “Let me put it this way. If you’re in a zoo where all of the animals escaped, and you see another human roaming about, who would you feel safer with? The animals or your fellow human?”

Suzu pondered this for a moment. “So you mean the spirits identify with him?”

“Yep.” He placed the katana on the backseat and opened the door, letting in the musky breeze from outside. “The katana stays here in case we need to grab it for him.”

Suzu turned around in her chair and hissed, “Are you saying Kei’s not fully human?”

Hanzo shrugged, carefree and a little amused. “These things won’t be so supernatural if we fully understood them, will they? But if you want his opinion, you can ask him.”

Kei knocked on the van’s hood and asked what was taking them so long. Suzu hurried out and jogged to where they stood on the pathway to the gym door. Kei’s button-down flapped behind her, and she struggled to fold the sleeves up her elbow while keeping up with the men’s long strides.

Kei had just finished his Waiki water when Suzu caught up with them. “Hanzo said you had a question.”

“No, I don’t.” She resisted the urge to frown at Hanzo, who was undoing the chains around the door handles while whistling a tune.

“Spit it out. Is it about getting paid today? Yeah, I suppose we can file this as some sort of overtime. Hanzo?” Kei kicked him lightly in the calf.

Hanzo pulled the chains off with a flourish and set them down on the ground. “I’m filing this. I’ll take care of yours too.”

Kei grabbed the door handle and posed next to it, his other hand holding his hip and his ankles crossed in a way that was supposed to look nonchalant, but simply came across as uncomfortable.  “Alright, lesson number one. In every city, Ninomae maintains at least three to six cold spots. These are basically areas where dormant supernatural beings are contained for observation. Why? Because whenever these otherwise harmless spirits display strange behavior, that means hot spots may be forming. I suppose you can infer based on that what hot spots are.”

Suzu took a second to realize he wanted an answer. “Areas with active supernatural spirits?”

“Or just any major crack in liminal spaces,” Hanzo offered. “Cold spots are like seismographers for earthquakes. Spirits are quicker to detect any dimensional trespass than any of us, mainly because that’s where they originate. Naturally, they’ll want to make their way home, but we’re keeping them hostage here for our benefit.”

Kei pushed the door open a crack, and the entire building groaned. “We stopped you from drinking Waiki water so you can at least glimpse the spirits in these cold spots. This one isn’t particularly nasty, but I don’t know what your tolerance is, so make sure not to shit yourself.”

She forced a smile at him. “Thank you for the reminder.”

Hanzo shouldered the other door open, and the three of them entered in silence. At once, all the hairs along Suzu’s arms and legs stood, and a tingling coursed down her spine. Her gaze went straight to the massive pool, its perimeter marked by hemp ropes with dangling talisman paper and used incense.

Rays of sunlight slanted across the gymnasium in various angles from the boarded up windows. Faded graffiti colored the walls, on top of which were rectangular strips of paper with words in Kanji.

 “Did you feel that?” Hanzo stretched his hand towards the pool and waved his fingers.

Suzu shuddered. She pulled Kei’s dress shirt close over her front. “I thought you only meant ‘cold’ figuratively.”

“Normal people like us feel the presence of spirits through temperature changes. Depending on how strongly they manifest, there may be other signs. If this were a field mission, we’d be stepping back until Kei gives us the clear. The cars we use in Ninomae are equipped with talismans prepared by the Amemiya. When all else fails, that’s your best hiding spot.” Hanzo scanned the place, his brows pinching tighter and tighter. “It should be there, no?”

Suzu dared to peer into the pool. Nothing but murky green water and some bobbing floaties. “What’s supposed to be where?”

“No scary figures nearby?” Hanzo asked her, sweeping his arm across the gymnasium as though presenting something. “Nothing that looks straight out of a horror movie?”

Kei put his hands in his pockets and roamed the pool’s perimeter. “It just had to be vet day for Anzu when I needed her. Hanzo, stay close to Suzu.”

She looked back and forth between the two men. “What’s going on?”

Hanzo grabbed Suzu by the shoulder and pulled her closer to him. With his other hand, he felt the air around the pool. “Temperature’s still dropping. Did it escape?”

Kei picked up one of the talisman papers on the hemp rope. “I checked with the Tokyo branch before going here. Big Baby’s supposed to be just sleeping in the pool right now. No hot spots in the area for at least a year.”

A movement in her periphery made Suzu gasp. She clung to Hanzo’s arm and pointed at the far end of the room. “There’s something over there.”

Kei padded over to them. “What did you see?”

“Something big just passed by really quickly.” It had just been a silhouette, but she thought it spanned the height of the entire wall to the mezzanine. She was about to say more about it when she noticed thick balls of dust raining down on them. The suddenness of their appearance made her blink several times in confusion.

Suzu pinched one with her thumb and forefinger, but she could neither move nor hold it.

Kei squinted at her. “You see the spores?”

“There are liminal spores now?” Hanzo wrapped his arm around Suzu, securing her to his side, and took out his phone. “Alright, this is quickly turning south. I’ll take Suzu back to the van and contact the Tokyo branch. There might be a hot spot nearby.”

A resounding gurgle cut them short.

Kei motioned for them to stop moving.

Suzu’s gaze darted from Kei to the spores suspended in the air, up to the windows on the second floor and further to the rusting metal bars overhead.

Blindly, she reached for Kei and managed to snag his shirt with her fingertips. She opened and closed her mouth, struggling to produce words with what little air passed through her tightening throat, but somehow she managed it. After several false starts, she pointed to the ceiling and said: “Did you say something about a big baby?”

The two men looked up.

Above them, clinging to the grids with its stubby fingers, was a baby the size of their van. Its shaved head lolled from side to side as it inspected them, and its chubby legs swung back and forth in a light rocking manner. A red bib encircled its neck, but it did not look like fabric at all.

Suzu followed the wet strings of red along the baby’s back and realized that the bib was not a bib, but a layer of drying flesh attached to the baby’s body.

Rolls of fat jiggled with its swaying, and drool slithered from its wide, toothless mouth to the rest of its naked body.

Kei squeezed her hand without taking his eyes off the spirit. “Be a good girl and walk out slowly with Hanzo. If it moves, don’t scream. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Hanzo had just pulled her back an inch when they heard a car engine outside, followed by doors slamming. Soon, two men burst into the gymnasium in matching suits and ties. The brunette sauntered ahead and merely glanced at Big Baby, while the other lingered behind to assess the situation.

“If it isn’t Kei Kashiki himself. I didn’t think I’d bump into you here.” The brunette’s voice bounced off the gymnasium, breaking the suspenseful tension that had enveloped their small group. Turning smoothly towards Hanzo, he saluted in mock respect. “Hanzo Mori! It’s nice to see you’re still alive.”

Suzu felt Hanzo’s chest vibrate against her head when he laughed. “I’d really rather have died by now if it meant skipping this interaction.”

“Hideshi, now’s not the time and place.” The second man muttered expletives at the sight of the Big Baby on the ceiling. He busied himself on the phone right away. “Mr Kashiki, Mr. Mori, we’re pleased to see you, but what are you doing here?”

“Touring,” came Kei’s lazy response. He motioned to the Big Baby. “You got alerted for this, Goro?”

“There’s a hot spot nearby. We came to deal with this first,” Goro said.

Hideshi tipped his head to the side to see Suzu half-hidden behind Hanzo. “You’re not a talent.”

“She’s Kei’s new recruitment care specialist. It’s her first day,” Hanzo said.

Suzu bowed. She figured if nobody was panicking, then neither should she. Four capable-looking men should suffice to take care of this spirit. Still, she felt warm and faint. “My name is Suzu Sakurai. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Kei snapped his finger twice, impatient. “Goro, make Hideshi handle this spirit before it does something.”

Hideshi stepped closer to Suzu as though assessing her. With an exasperated gasp, he turned to Kei. “What kind of ass-kissing did you have to do to get a pretty young lady as your care specialist? What’s going on in Kanagawa, huh?”

Hanzo felt the air above him again. “Goro, we don’t have jurisdiction, but if you don’t get Hideshi to act, I’m fetching Kei a weapon.”

“Should I?” Suzu offered, angling her body towards the door. She couldn’t wait to leave this place.

Goro removed the hard casing slung across his back and laid it on the floor. From it, he produced a crossbow that he had to twist and lock the parts of to assemble. “Hideshi, even I can sense the spores now.”

The grids above them whined. Plaster dust rained on the group, and everybody covered their eyes and mouths except for Hideshi. Instead, he smiled at Suzu, barely noticing the coating of grey on his forehead and gelled back hair. “Look at this little thing, trembling like a petal in a storm. Would you like to transfer to Tokyo and work for me instead?”

“Kei, will the katana do, or do you want a bow?” Hanzo turned to the door with Suzu pressed to his side, but Hideshi blocked their path.

Kei marched towards them. “Hey, step away from the girl.”

Hideshi beamed at him. “Or what?”

Goro whistled, the sound so loud and piercing that it made them wince. A large German Shepherd dashed into the gymnasium and skidded to a halt behind Hideshi. Almost instantly, it detected the spirit and began barking at Big Baby. The dog’s mere volume made any conversation impossible, and Hideshi grudgingly accepted the bow and quiver from Goro.

Kei signalled for Hanzo and Suzu to move back.

Hideshi plucked an arrow from the quiver, set it on his bow, and aimed at the ceiling. The baby giggled and swung its legs harder until the metal grids curved at its weight. More plaster dust. More metals whining.

Suzu squinted to see what Hideshi was aiming at and had just caught the tip of something white on the exposed ceiling when the arrow whizzed in the air. A series of mild explosions startled Big Baby into letting go, and it rolled in the air twice before dropping head-first into the pool.

Suzu ducked her head. In one deft move, Hanzo switched their positions, so he was hunkered over her. Water splashed on the gym floor with a sizzle and crawled past their feet. Suzu watched the waves of green-tinted water submerge her sneakers in soft waves before thinning out across the gymnasium. Nobody moved. Even Hanzo, whose hair dripped water to the back of her neck, held her against him for a few more moments before loosening his grip.

Peering around Hanzo, Suzu saw Kei shielding Hanzo with his body, his arms stretched out sideways to make himself as wide as possible. Whereas Hanzo was partially wet, Kei was drenched from head to toe, and a torn piece of talisman paper clung to his shirt.

“Talismans explode like fireworks when activated,” Hideshi explained, even as he wiped water off his face. He tossed his crossbow aside and approached Suzu while shrugging off his wet suit jacket. “Did you see the talismans I shot? The Amemiya Family created those to make it easier to contain spirits in these cold spots. Have you explained it to her yet, Kei or were you too busy showing off to teach your new assistant the basics?”

Hanzo patted his pockets. Finding a handkerchief, he offered it to Suzu. “As you can see, there’s never a shortage of assholes in every company.”

“Clearly,” she muttered to herself, darting a glare at Hideshi before checking on Kei. She wiped her neck with the handkerchief and passed it on to him. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine. Anyway—” Kei shook his phone to see if it was still working. The screen lit up after wiping it with the handkerchief, and he sighed in relief. “The dust around us is called liminal spores. They’re from the liminal dimensions, and they’re the pesky things that enable spirits to take physical form in our world. Big Baby was producing liminal spores, probably because it’s dying, which was why it had weight when it fell into the pool. Otherwise, the spirits in cold spots are just that—spirits. They can’t harm you.”

Goro picked up the crossbow while talking on the phone. The dog, tongue-out and jubilant after Big Baby’s fall, followed him around. He only growled when the water sloshed in the pool, and Big Baby resurfaced with loud, choking noises.

Hideshi produced a roll of talisman papers from his pocket and climbed the steps to the pool. Big Baby’s massive hand swung towards him, and Suzu screamed. She would’ve fallen to the floor had Hanzo not caught her.

“Relax,” Kei said. “Look.”

Suzu opened her eyes and saw Hideshi arranging the talisman paper across the pool. Big Baby’s hand swept past his body, but every other solid thing it hit cracked with the force of its movement.

Kei just rolled his eyes at this. “Hideshi is, unfortunately, Tokyo’s top talent. He possesses intangibility, meaning no matter how much I want to stab his face, the blade will go through him like he’s air. Inevitably, that impacted his mental faculties, and his brain became permanently intangible as well.”

Suzu laughed through her nose. She brought her hand up to her face and excused herself.

Back in the pool, Big Baby paddled along the pool with deafening wails. Hideshi had limited its movements with the talisman papers, and now he descended the stairs with an arrow pointed at Kei. “I miss the times when we could try to kill one another, and Ninomae wouldn’t bat an eye.”

“Don’t scare the new recruit,” Goro scolded.

Kei made a show of ignoring Hideshi. He pulled up his shirt to reveal the push daggers lining his belt. “All of us are armed with practical weapons because we’re not allowed to use our talents unless necessary. Remember, talents manifest liminal spaces, so while it enables us to kill spirits more efficiently, it also paves the way for more spirits to enter our world. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

Hanzo checks his watch. “Kei, time to go. We need to be back in Kanagawa before one, and we’ve been exposed to enough Hideshi for today.”

Goro scrambled to pocket his phone and talisman papers to bow at them. “It’s an honor to see you today, Mr Kashiki. Mr Mori, please take care of yourself, and Ms. Sakurai, good luck on the job.”

Suzu spared Big Baby one last glance before turning away from it. She couldn’t even be mad when Hideshi winked at her. This experience had just altered her perception of the world, and she would never see any baby the same way again.

Now was not the best day to test his patience, but Kei believed he handled the situation well. He did not overstep anybody’s jurisdiction and therefore caused no trouble for the Kanagawa branch. Hanzo didn’t get into a fight because of him, and the new girl earned a valuable experience on the field.

Kei followed the van to the other side of campus on foot because he still had to change out of his wet clothes, but he didn’t want to stay near the gymnasium for another round of Hideshi’s taunting. That man had only gotten worse over the years, especially since he got promoted twice and was rumored to have worked with the Blood Families on several occasions.

No wonder his ego was so inflated. Any talent who had the privilege of escorting the Blood Families to any sort of event automatically raised their status in society. Kei had no doubt Hideshi had long forsaken his shabby Saitama apartment for a luxurious one along Shibuya. His suit alone must cost a fortune, and he didn’t bat an eye when that pool water hit him.

Kei shuddered at the idea that if not for Kanagawa, he might’ve turned out exactly like Hideshi.

Hanzo parked the car behind the elementary school building and opened the back for him. Already, Hanzo was showing Suzu all of the compartments and giving her a rundown of what to do in these events, starting with their growing collection of spare clothes.

Kei pulled his shirt over his head and dropped it on the ground. As a rule, he didn’t wear branded shirts on missions, but he had forgotten to do his laundry and had not expected this tour to get messy. Now Aftercare would surely ruin this shirt, and he’d have to explain to Akari what happened to her present.

Not that she should still care, but he rather liked her presents.

“Kei, here’s—ah!” Suzu squeaked and whipped around to face the building. She threw her arm out to hand him a fresh pair of pants and shirt. “Sorry!”

Kei pulled his belt out and shimmied off his pants. His boxers were dry, thank goodness. “There’s no malice to it, so don’t look away. It’s not like I’m nude or anything. Being on the field means I might change at least once a day, especially if I get bloody, and there isn’t always room for modesty. Get used to it.”

Suzu snuck a look at him, bowed her head, and held out his clothes with both hands. “Here.”

Kei snatched the clothes from her. “Do men like Hideshi scare you? It won’t be a leap to assume that you’re used to men leering.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You’re pretty. I’m not gonna pretend you aren’t.”

Suzu frowned. She shifted her weight from one leg to another, clearly uncomfortable. “I know how to deal with men like him, but I didn’t want to behave in a way that might get you in trouble. I suppose if we were in Kanagawa, we would have more liberty to tell him off since it’s our jurisdiction?”

“Technically, yes, especially if he’s getting in the way of the job.” He buttoned his pants. “Suzu.”

She looked up at his face.

Kei held her gaze as he slipped on his shirt. He wasn’t blind. He knew what Hideshi saw in that gymnasium—a young lady so flushed with fright that she was breathless and near fainting. On several occasions, she appeared to be on the verge of screaming, and when she did finally scream, the sound could not have been more timid. Even the way she fell back on Hanzo made the heart ache with pity. Nothing like a damsel in distress to stroke the ego, to remind a talent like that about his fearlessness and power. Heroism felt better when there was a lovely lady around to impress.

Perhaps Hideshi wasn’t so crazy to question Kanagawa’s decision. Allowing a woman like her to be a recruitment care specialist? But these were not normal circumstances; the only way to keep her close was to put her directly under his care.

“There aren’t a lot of female care specialists in Ninomae,” he said. “They made the exception with us because I’ve never harmed any of the specialists I’ve worked with, and it’s the position that justifies the compensation we agreed upon when I recruited you. Hideshi himself isn’t as bad as he looks, but there are talents out there who get away with crossing moral boundaries, especially with women. It’s best that you’re aware.”

She nodded, putting on a brave face, but the color had left her cheeks already. “It’s not like I have a choice.”

“That’s one way of thinking about it.”

“You’re obligated to protect me, right?” she asked.

“From external threats, yes, but not from the consequences of any poor decision you might make.” He regarded her again, this time with more suspicion. Frowning like that with the school building as her backdrop, she reminded him of someone he’d rather forget. “You have a boyfriend?”

“No.”

“Don’t date anyone at work. Better yet, don’t date at all while you’re with us. It never ends well.” Kei poked the side of her head. “And don’t ever flirt with any guy on the field. You’ll make my job difficult that way.”

Suzu batted his hand away. “You’re making too many assumptions about me. First, my coffee, now my personality. I hardly think that’s fair.”

Kei flicked imaginary hair over his shoulder. “You look like you do this and get your way with men. That’s not working with me, okay? And Hanzo’s already taken.”

“Excuse me?” Suzu scoffed. “You’re the one who made me look while you’re changing, and now I’m the pervert?”

“I didn’t make you look. I told you not to make it awkward.”

“Hey, hey!” Hanzo clapped his hands twice to end their bickering. “Why are you two fighting? I thought you were getting along?”

“He keeps hitting me,” Suzu tapped her temple repeatedly. “In the head!”

“Alright, I’m sorry.” Kei took a deep breath and raised his hands in surrender. “I was just trying to look out for you, but I find talking to teenagers tricky, so there was a bit of miscommunication. And no, I wasn’t hitting you.”

“I’m not a teenager. You know that,” she said.

“Then don’t be sensitive like a teenager.”

“You drive like a teenager.”

Kei was taken aback. “What does my driving have to do with anything?”

Hanzo stepped between the two of them with a drawstring bag. “Clothes that are exposed to spores are bagged separately from just dirty clothes. Spores have a lifespan of two days on inanimate objects. These bags contain the spores until they die, which can then be handed off to Aftercare for washing. Basically, anything that has to do with the aftermath of any mission or exposure has to be endorsed to Aftercare.”

Suzu marched right next to Kei, stood on her toes to close the back of the van, and announced that she was changing her clothes inside. “Unlike you, I’d prefer to maintain a modicum of decency and change without anybody looking, especially if it’s not a life-or-death situation.” Then she got into the car and slammed the door shut.

Kei and Hanzo sat on the steps of the elementary school building, smoking cigarettes while drinking the fresh fruit juice they bought this morning. The rest of the abandoned school stretched before them in all its dilapidated glory: rusty swing sets, croaking seesaws, peeling paint and torn curtains billowing from open windows. It was lovely in an eerie way.

Kei reclined on the steps and watched the clouds drift by. “She’s got a temper, doesn’t she?”

Hanzo tapped his cigarette, and the ashes fell on the cement tread near Kei’s hand. “Well, Kei, everybody’s got a temper when you’re intent on being infuriating.”

“I was just giving her advice and setting boundaries.”

“Of course.”

“She reminds me of my high school bully.”

Hanzo pouted, his bottle of fruit juice tipped to his lips. “You were bullied by a girl in high school?”

“She wasn’t a girl. She was the devil.” Kei took a swig of his fruit juice. Just the memory of that girl’s menacing glare and sharp tongue made his stomach twist. He never did hear from her again after Ninomae recruited him, and he wondered now how she was doing. “It makes me nervous that Suzu might have some of that evil in her, so I’m setting myself up as the alpha early on.”

Hanzo patted his shoulder. “Kei, you’re cool and professional when you want to be, but when you decide you aren’t, you stink of stupidity.”

The car engine revved up, cutting short Kei’s response. After another roar, the van reversed to where Kei and Hanzo idled, sending a gust of smoke and dried leaves flying their way. The two men stumbled back towards the building to avoid getting run over.

Suzu rolled down the window and beckoned at them from the driver’s seat. “Get in. I’m driving to Kanagawa.”