Yokai Read Online Free Page B

sleeve as she left. She
slid into her sandals in the little foyer, where a beaded curtain
separated Madame Mori’s library from the hallway that led to Mr.
and Mrs. Wada’s sake bar. The hall was dimly lit, one of the
fluorescent bulbs overhead flickering in front of the ladies’ room.
Yumiko eyed the light as she passed beneath it, then stepped into
the bar, where she was met with soft, calming music. Half a dozen
patrons were already seated at the bar, with another couple at a
table, bowls of ramen in front of them. It was a small bar, but it
had its regulars, who enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere and Mrs.
Wada’s delicious food, if not Mr. Wada’s alcohol.
    “ Yumiko!” Mrs. Wada greeted
from the little window to the kitchen where she set food out on a
ledge for her husband to bring out to patrons. “Are you and Madame
Mori going to be ordering anything tonight?”
    “ Yes, two bowls of rice,
please,”
    Mrs. Wada winked at her. “Coming right
up, dear.”
    Yumiko liked the Wadas. They were both
heavyset and seemed to enjoy running the little bar, always
shimmying about with smiles on their faces. They were as cheerful
as Yumiko ever saw people, and they still seemed to enjoy each
other’s company after twenty years of marriage. Although they were
both in their forties, they still flirted with each other over the
cups of sake they served. And they seemed rather fond of Yumiko,
and would sneak her little treats when she was younger, even when
Madame Mori forbade them. She would still find a small treat with
her supper sometimes, even to this day.
    “ Hello, Yumiko!” Mr. Wada
called out as he sauntered over to the end of the bar. “Keeping out
of trouble, little lady?”
    “ Trouble is my business,”
Yumiko replied, her mouth twitching. They always had the same
interaction. It was almost a running gag at this point, it was so
customary. The Wadas knew full well that Yumiko and Madame Mori
were highly-respected in the yokai field. When people had a problem
with yokai, they would seek Madame Mori’s help, and Yumiko would be
dispatched to put an end to whatever it may be. Of course, people
didn’t believe in yokai like they used to, even though they were a
very real threat, but when a person was being terrorized by them,
the murmurings on the street seemed to reach their ears, and they
would find Madame Mori, at the back of the sake bar in the red
light district. In truth, Madame Mori owned the building, and liked
having the sake bar as a front.
    “ Then it’s bound to be good
business,” Mr. Wada laughed, before walking away, shaking his head.
He cleaned a glass with a towel as he retreated, heading toward a
customer who was trying to get his attention.
    Yumiko looked across the room to the
entrance of the sake bar. When someone entered the building from
the street, there was a little entranceway with two doors. If they
went right, they would find the door to the sake bar. If they went
left, they would walk into the entryway of a love hotel, also owned
by Madame Mori. Love hotels weren’t an uncommon sight in the red
light district, but Yumiko used to be troubled walking into the
building, for fear of being seen by someone she knew. But, of
course, if someone saw her enter the building, they were also in
the red light district, and people who visited knew to keep their
mouths shut. Bars, women, gambling – it was a part of the city made
for indulging in vices. Yumiko felt like the Wadas hardly fit in,
but their consistent business proved her wrong on that
point.
    As she was staring at the
entrance, a teenaged girl stepped into the room and made a beeline
for her. “Hey, Yumiko!” she said happily. She was a thin girl with
her hair up in pigtails and dyed red. She wore a high school
uniform, which included a white blouse, navy blazer, and a pleated
navy skirt that showed off her knees, even though Yumiko knew for a
fact that she was out of school. She just liked how it looked on
her, and the way guys