Azuma Yukishiro/A Moment in the Spirit World

The Enchanting and Beautiful Temptress

Backstage Stories

Part 1Part 2Part 3

Azuma	Hello, miss director. Any plans for today?
Izumi	Oh, not really… I was going to go shopping for dinner, but that’s about it.
Azuma	Is that so? Good, I’m glad you don’t have much. This works out, seeing as I thought to ask if you’d like to accompany me to the soap shop.
	I’ve used up almost all of my favorite soap, and I thought you might come along as my partner. What do you say?
Izumi	Sounds great! I’d love to come.
Azuma	Fufu, it’s settled.
Izumi	Wow, it smells amazing in here. There are so many types of soap!
Azuma	Come over here, director. Feel this one.
Izumi	Whoa! It’s wiggling!
Azuma	Fufu, that’s right. Pretty interesting, isn’t it?
Izumi	Is this really soap?
Azuma	It’s a type of konjac soap.
Izumi	Ohh, now that you say that, it does feel like konjac jelly…
Azuma	Don’t you think it’s cute? It’s quite the popular gift item.
	The ingredients used in making konjac are known for being great sponges, and they absorb toxins and excess sebum. It’s a lovely cleanser and leaves your skin looking very shiny.
CHOICE 1: Wow, you really know your beauty facts, Azuma! [+] Izumi Wow, you really know your beauty facts, Azuma! Azuma Learning how to properly cleanse your face is the foundation of skincare, after all. Izumi I’m so busy all the time. I gotta admit it’s difficult for me to remember to properly cleanse, even though I know how important it is to keep a clean face.
CHOICE 2: I never knew it had uses outside of food! [+] Izumi I never knew it had uses outside of food! Azuma Konjac is quite versatile. As an example, it can also be used for sponges, dietary supplements, and many other beauty products. Izumi Wow, it’s that handy? Azuma Yes, in fact I’ve used konjac sponges before. They’re gentle on the skin, which is nice. I should have some unused sponges laying around. When we get back to the dorm, I’ll take a look and let you have one. Izumi Thank you so much!
	What’s this black soap over here?
Azuma	That one is made with charcoal. Charcoal is used to cleanse the pores of any dirt or oils.
Yamamoto	Excuse me, but are you by any chance Yukishiro?
Azuma	???
Yamamoto	I had a feeling. Long time no see, you’re looking well.
Azuma	Oh, Mr. Yamamoto! Long time no see indeed. Fancy running into you here.
	Director, this is Mr. Yamamoto, he runs a ryokan. We’re acquaintances from way back.
Izumi	Nice to meet you. You can call me Tachibana.
Azuma	She is the director of my acting troupe.
Yamamoto	You know, you two look quite good together. I almost mistook you for a couple.
Izumi	HUH!?
Azuma	Fufu, I’ll consider that a compliment. I’m honored.
Yamamoto	You said an acting troupe, right? Does that mean you’re working as an actor now?
Azuma	Indeed, more or less.
Yamamoto	To be honest, I was hoping you could give me a hand with something…
Azuma	And what would that be?
Yamamoto	It’s just… Next month I plan to open a Chinese spirit themed ryokan.
	I’m here to look for soaps that can go in the guest rooms.
Azuma	Shooting for the stars as always, I see.
Yamamoto	Heh, well… I’m just a man who’s passionate about my work.
	If your troupe has the time for it, I would really appreciate it if you came and helped out at the ryokan for a day as a spirit.
	I think the guests would really get a kick out of seeing a “real” spirit. What do you say?
Azuma	Sounds interesting, but… what kind of spirit were you thinking of?
Yamamoto	Three spirits in particular—Bixie, Huxian, and Niutou.
	If you help me out, I would of course be happy to provide you with a meal and a stay in our nicest room.
Azuma	That sounds very enticing. You always come up with such top-notch ideas, Mr. Yamamoto.
Yamamoto	The only thing that’s left is to find a good cook.
Izumi	A cook, you say?
Yamamoto	At the moment, I’ve yet to finalise the menu. It would be really nice if I could find someone to help with it.
Azuma	That is not in my area of expertise, but perhaps my lovely director could help you out? What do you say, miss director?
Izumi	I see… Would it be alright if I thought about it a little and got back to you?
Yamamoto	Of course, no problem.
Izumi	I’ll talk with the rest of the troupe and get back to you sometime this week.
Yamamoto	Thank you for your consideration.

Izumi	And that’s all the details, what do you guys say?
Kumon	That sounds so freaking cool!
Kazunari	A ryokan with a spirit concept sounds based as hell! I’m hyped!
Sakyo	Yes, it does tickle my interest. The only thing left is to decide who will play the spirits.
Azuma	Mr. Yamamoto said he wanted to have three in total. They are called Bixie, Huxian, and Niutou.
Citron	Obtuse, rubber goose, green moose, guava juice! I don’t get it at all!
Tsuzuru	Dude, what the hell!? How did this turn into some crazy rhyming game?
Izumi	So here are some more details about the Chinese spirit theme. First, about Bixie. She is a female Pixiu, “a creature that wards off evil.” Usually depicted with a pair of deer antlers. They say that Bixie helps out those suffering from bad feng shui.
	Next is Huxian. Huxian is a fox spirit who has spent many years training in the mountains alone, and it is described as sexy and alluring in appearance.
	And at last, Niutou. Its name is made from the Chinese characters for “ox” and “head.” Just as you would expect, it is a spirit with the head of an ox. Niutou is responsible for collecting the souls of those approaching death so that they can be judged in front of the courts of hell. Sinners are punished, the righteous are rewarded.
Banri	Okay, after hearing the descriptions, Bixie sounds the most like Azuma, yeah?
Taichi	I was thinking the same!
Homare	Yes, he fits the role like a silk glove!
Tsumugi	Since Mr. Yamamoto is Azuma’s acquaintance, it only makes sense that he would participate in the event.
Azuma	Well, since it seems like everyone agrees, I will take the role of Bixie.
Tasuku	That only leaves Huxian and Niutou.
Chikage	And you mentioned Mr. Yamamoto also wanted a skilled cook, yes? I think Omi would be good for that part.
Muku	If Omi is going to help out, I think he would fit as Niutou.
Yuki	Isn’t that too obvious? Maybe he wants to play a role he’s never done before. It’d be pretty refreshing to see him branch out.
Azami	Alright, then what do you think about him as Huxian?
Izumi	Why don’t we ask the man himself? What would you like to do, Omi?
Omi	Haha, I don’t have any objections. Creating a menu for the ryokan does sound pretty interesting though.
Guy	So next we have Niutou.
Tenma	How about I take that part?
	When I heard about this whole Chinese spirits project, I thought it’d be a great chance to study and expand my horizons. I wanna give it a shot.
Izumi	Let me think... Since you can’t be out in public, I think we’ll need to confirm the details of your involvement with Mr. Yamamoto.
Azuma	I could talk to him about it personally.
Izumi	Yes, please do.
Tenma	…I knew this was going to be themed after Chinese spirits, but I didn’t expect the atmosphere to be so beautiful.
Omi	Yeah, it’s even better seeing it in person.
Izumi	I feel like this place would be scary if you were here alone at night.
Yamamoto	Haha, I’m flattered. I wanted to make it truly immersive.
Azuma	You two look quite handsome in your costumes. They really suit you.
Omi	Yeah, you too.
Izumi	You guys fit in perfectly!
Azuma	Fufu, thank you.
Yamamoto	Alright then, let’s get started right away. I’ll direct you to your posts.
	Yukishiro, you’ll lead guests around the ryokan. Fushimi, you’ll be helping out in the kitchen and bringing food to guests.
	And for Tenma, who can’t be seen in public, I think you would do a great job with yumomi.
	You’ll be in a position where you won’t have to interact with guests too often, plus it’ll be hard to tell who you are in your Niutou costume.
	Oh, and when in costume, I think it would be best to change your language a little to make it seem truly immersive.
	That would be a nice touch, don’t you think?
	I’ll leave it to you how you want to portray your characters.
Omi	Change our language…
Tenma	I gotta think about this one.
Azuma	I look forward to seeing how you guys act out your roles.
Izumi	Ahh, I guess I’m just tagging along? Is it really okay for me just to stay around the ryokan during all of this?
	And here I was thinking you guys invited me to help…
Azuma	Fufu, it’s fine. You already work so hard, I think it would be best if you just had a rest and enjoyed your stay.
Omi	I was speaking with one of the waiters earlier. They said that the open air baths have great views. If you get a chance, I think you should really go check them out.
Tenma	You know it wouldn’t hurt to take a day off once in a while.
Izumi	Thank you. Well, I guess I should take your suggestions and destress while I’m here.
Azuma	We’ll see you later.
Izumi	Good luck, everyone!

Izumi	Wow, I'm stuffed.
	(The food was delicious and the onsen was amazing~.)
	(Not to mention this room is huge, especially for just one person..)
	(Azuma sure knows some amazing people…)
	(Now that I think of it, I wonder how they’re doing…)
	(It seems like everything is going smoothly?)
	knockknock
Izumi	(I wonder who that could be?)
	Oh, what’s up, Tenma?
Tenma	…Shh, follow me and speak nary a word.
Izumi	H-Huh? What’s going on?
Tenma	…
Izumi	(...Is this some in-character thing?
	Welp, I guess I’m following him now.)
Izumi	(This is Azuma’s room…)
Tenma	We’ve arrived. Enter.
Azuma	The night is still young.
Omi	Hurry up. We’re tired of waiting.
Izumi	Huh?!
Tenma	I did my part! Wahaha, what excitement!
Izumi	What?! H-Hey wait, hold up Tenma, what’s the meaning of all this?!
Azuma	It’s alright, my dearest. Be not afraid.
Omi	Come along, we’re only having some midnight drinks.
Izumi	Midnight drinks? You mean this is all…
Azuma	Fufu, what do you think? Were you surprised?
Izumi	Yeah, I was…
Azuma	Tenma is underage, so he can’t join us in the festivity. We tasked him with fetching you instead.
Izumi	Oh, so that’s what that was.
Omi	Come here and take a seat, director.
	Mr. Yamamoto was kind enough to give us some drinks, and we prepared it all for you.
Izumi	No, no, I can’t accept this. I didn’t help out at all today, it doesn’t feel right.
Azuma	At the very least, could I get my hands on you for a massage…?
Izumi	What!? Right here, right now!? I-I… Something about how you said that makes it seem sexual!
Azuma	Fufu, I was kidding.
Izumi	You’re teasing me again…
Omi	Hahaha. Come on, come on, take a seat.
Azuma	Think of this as a thank you for all you do for us. There’s no need to be shy.
Izumi	When you put it that way, I guess I can’t refuse, so thank you.
Azuma	Together, a toast for our hard work today. Ganbei.
Izumi	Ganbei!

Ranka