“I am unsure of what to make of this…” Asha said, havi our home at the Shrine. She was now looking to the north, towards the distant skyline of tral Tokyo, marvelling at the seemingly eall buildings, and the Tokyo Tower and Skytree, which even exceeded her Tree i. “The air…” she took a breath, her calm face wrinkling a little with some disfort. “…the smells are strange. Almost like burning wood, yet not…”

  “That’s car exhausts.” I said, pointing down the hill to the busy roads thronged with vehicles. “The air isn’t the est, but…” I shot a sidelong g Ixitt. “I think that might be about to ge.”

  Ixitt was the happiest of us all, even outshining Asha and Ginneka, who was also looking around with some surprise, blue eyes wide, purring in a mixture of awe and fusion. On hearing my words, he followed my gaze, seeing the cars. “Of course, of course. With the weight of aric car battery being anything from a bit under five hundred kilograms to a number of times that… and with eighty million cars in Japan, give or take a million here and there…”

  He quickly started tapping away on one of his tablet puters, calg. “With ten times the battery capacity at minimum… assume we reduce the weight by a factor of five, while giving twice the range…” After a while he grinned, his calcutions pleasing him. “The scale of version to electric vehicles would be a massive uaking, but who would want the battery teology of the current paradigm, assuming we make ours work for a reasonable price?”

  “Yes, the first step is to vert the coal and gas-hungry prid to geion, and then vehicles, homes…” I looked at Asha warmly. “Of course, the sed stage is greenery. We increase the density of quality housing, while making more space for parks, forests, gardens and more…”

  “All the while making a great deal of money.” Shiro ughed. “I said I wanted a billionaire for a husband, but maybe you’ll be a trillionaire, hell, even a quadrillionaire seems possible… we’ll be women of leisure.” she said to Shaeu, Motoko and Natsumi. Seeing how tired the tter two were, I kissed them tenderly, praising them for their tributions during the mount Atago trials, thehem off with a Bck Wolf pany driver to take them home.

  “Nya, I am so jealous… it’s been so long since I had a man…” Ginneka pined, but I chose to ignore her. It’s not been that long, and she was dead for most of the time…

  “I thiing past a trillionaire would be hard.” I said, thinking. “After all, when the Boundary breaks, everyone will have more to worry about than money. Of course, everything depends oher we make the teology work here.” I said, and Ixitt gave me a thumbs-up.

  “I have much to do. Spectroscopy and other detailed analysis of Etherites and other materials this delightful cat has brought here for us…”

  “Delightful, nya?” Ginneka leased. She looked at Ixitt for a moment, before shaking her head. “Nya, you’re not my type though. A pity.”

  “Anyone who helps his research is awesome to him. I know the sort.” Shiro said, and I rubbed her head until she got irritated and swatted my hand away.

  “Yeah, those who helped you with yame were your heroes.” I ughed. Seeing Asha’s wistful look I stroked her head as well, feeling her soft and silky hair. “But seriously, we’re almost ready to begin. Ohe moarts rolling in, we expand operations, buy up as much relevant nd as possible, and also start cag supplies. Food and water, tools, ons… we’re taking no ces.” Ohing I’ve noticed in a certain sort of apocalypse story, that of those who get a sed ce, they always stock up in advance. We’d be foolish not to do the same.

  “Indeed.” Ixitt agreed. “Havihe pns for your e, the hill underh, it will be transformed into bunker, access hub and ste facility. It is quite impressive. And now…” He looked at me, his expectations high. “When might we be receiving the aid of this Nie Ling? If I bring further Mortal Engineers here, and those with elemental talents, we rapidly proceed.”

  “I don’t know if she send from the Boundary to here. We o test it. But… the paperwork should have been done by now. Let me check my phone…” I probably should have dohis earlier, but I was busy… There were indeed messages saying that she had been cleared to be taken into my custody, and a number of other texts and emails from various people. Arisu-san, huh? That’s unusual. There were several missed calls, and a rather brusque message saying she o speak to me about something important. Shiro gnced over my shoulder, and on seeing it, shrugged.

  “Oh yeah, she did mention she had something to talk to you about. It slipped my mind as I was busy with something else.” She exged a look with Shaeu, who grinned. I see. Well, if it’s important, they’ll tell me, I’m sure.

  “In that case, I’ll make a quick couple of calls. While I’m doing that…”

  “Might as well watch the experiments.” Shiro said, somewhat ied. Kana had e over, along with her father, and Ixitt sent her running to fete items, as he began to set up his Alchemical devi the waning afternoon sunlight. Dialling Arisu-san, I waited as it rang several times, before she answered, her voice as cool as ever.

  “You finally returned my messages.” she said without even a greeting. “I believe you be in two pces at onow, no? Surely that means you should be able to answer your phone.” At her criticism, I felt pelled to justify myself.

  “Sorry, st night my phone was off, and then I had to withdraw my Material body, as the situation grew more plicated.”

  “I see.” she said after a moment. “White did say you were out on a date and then vanished.” Her sigh was audible over quite some distance, and Shiro was smirking at me, amused at my disfort. “But you should not let your… busy… schedule distract you from important matters. You are a leader, so set a good example.”

  Damn, she could be a schoolteacher, not an actress, with scolding like that. She’s right though… “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have had my phone off, but it py occasion, so…”

  She sighed again. “It does not matter. What is done is done. I may not be your Vassal, unlike Suzanne-san, but I still have to follow your lead. So do not disappoint me.”

  “Yeah, sain.” I tio apologise, before ging the subject. “So, what did you need?”

  She paused, hesitant, and that surprised me. She’s normally so posed. After a while there was another long sigh, this one nation. “I am in a little bit of a bind. I need a favour from you.”

  “Anything.” I said, remembering her aid on several occasions. “Just ask and I’ll do it.”

  “Oh man, Aki is living dangerously…” Shiro was saying to the others. Ign them, I tinued.

  “I owe you a favour, and even if I didn’t, you’ve looked after Shiro, so we’re friends.”

  “Friends, hmm?” she mused. “Yes, I believe we are. So I shall be frank. This situation is ohat could have been avoided, were I prepared to weather some annoyances. But… there are also gains to be made. If properly handled.”

  “Go on, I’m listening.”

  “I will be taking part in a talk show on Sunday, hosted by FujiTV. It is an opportunity to appeal to the public. Which is a goal of yours.” she said, and I didn’t disagree. “They… have requested your attendance. You are rather popur a topic of versation, after London. I said I would persuade you to attend, if they allowed us to vet the questions beforehand, and suggest some of our own.”

  “I see. A talk show, huh? Could be iing. But you wao go ht?”

  “It would allow me to set the record straight on a number of matters.” She sniffed, annoyed. “That wretch tried to bckmail me with photographs of us together.” I nearly choked at that, as she tinued. “Of course, I am not a fool. I do not take kindly to threats, nor surrender. But a mutual exge of is…”

  “That’d be awesome. I want to see you on TV again.” Kana giggled, drawing an exasperated look from her father. The two of them had returned carrying a number of bags of trash, a mixture of s, bottles, paper, food wastes and more assorted junk.

  “No kidding. Seeing Aki and Arisu on TV would be something to see. We tease them both fes…” Shiro joined in.

  “So, your answer?” she said, and I of course agreed.

  “It’s just a small favour, and it seems like you’ve id the groundwork for us to profit. We should brainstorm some questions, do you want to meet up ter?”

  She agreed, and after that she hung up. “Not one for chatting, is she?” I said ruefully.

  “No, Arisu is always all business. Though being an actress, wheuation calls for it, she speak about anything and sound like an expert.” Shiro agreed. Everyone was gathered around Ixitt, so I took the opportunity to make another call, s out the transportation of Nie Ling to us. I also left a message on Mayumi-san’s phone, as well as Hinata’s, sihey would either be at Hanafubuki or soon to finish. With that done, I dialled one final number, as Ixitt unfolded a crystal cube, perhaps a metre long on each side, with what looked like bluesteel wires around the bottom. Pg the Alchemical deviside, he began fiddling, while I waited for the person oher side to answer.

  I guess she could be in the Boundary, or… oh, no, wait… the phone was answered by a familiar voice. “Akio-san, is there something wrong?” Yukiko-san seemed nervous, and I hurried to reassure her.

  “No, I’m not calling about an emergency. Quite the opposite in fact.” The smile on my face was broad, a great weight lifted off my shoulders, and the girls watched me fondly as I talked. “I have some good news.”

  “Good news?” she paused. “You don’t mean…”

  “I do.” I said happily. “We had a lucky break during our Kyoto expansion, and… Tsukiko-san has returned. But we o discuss her future. you make time to visit this evening? I know it’s short notice but…”

  “No, don’t worry. I’ll drop everything and hurry ht away.” She paused. “It isn’t just the nobility who travel in style.” she said, slightly embarrassed. After a long pause, in which I wondered if she had hung up, she spoke again. “Thank you. Thank you so much. She was my friend, and I hated that I couldn’t do more for her, that… that she died.” I could hear her voice trembling, and her uears. “I don’t care about propheot anymore. To me… you’re the osukiko talked about. If you aren’t, then what use is the one who is? Oh, sorry… I shouldn’t… I shouldn’t cry, I know…”

  “It’s fine.” I said softly. “I uand. I feel the same way. Our acquaintance might be brief, but it was meaningful and impactful. And I believe those who sacrifice for others shouldn’t go unrewarded. Fortunately… we have the ow.”

  “We, huh?” she said, blowing her nose noisily. “It looks like you’ve made up your mind as well.”

  It’s not that simple, but… there’s no way I turn her down if she’s ied. It’s not like the arranged marriages the elves want, Tsukiko-san… I genuinely want to make her happy, to show her that her sacrifices meant something, and that her path is whatever she wants it to be. I think that’s as good a foundation as any. And holy, she’s geous too, aloof yet vulnerable, she tugs at my heartstrings. But it’s her decision. Spending time with Yukiko-san, seeing the world outside Kyoto, that would be good too… “It’s her choi the end. I’ll respect whatever she decides.” I said, and her damp ughter sounded, a mixture of happiness and tears.

  “Her choice? You really are a bit of a coward, Akio-san. For someone so experienced, you put a lot on the shoulders of inexperienced women. But… oh, we’ll talk about this in person. I have te transport…” With that she hung up, and I turo see the others looking at me.

  “She’s right. We all know how this ends. And I’m fih it. Though I have to be ho, I think she’s intruding on my uniqueness a bit, Aki.” Shiro said, scratg her cheek idly. “We’re both perfect spes of humanity. I hought I’d see someone as beautiful as me. It’s not fair, why did she have a healthy body and I was so sickly and dying though?”

  “It is not-not just you who is beautiful.” Shaeu smirked. “We all-all are. Besides, it is the job of a bold male to cim all the best females. And she clearly has some deep emotions towards you.” Before I could speak, she hurried over and sealed my lips with a finger. “Hush now. It does not-not matter. Soon we will decide, though as Shiro says, we all know-know. But before that…” her expression ged, and she was now a little hesitant. “I have news of my own.”

  “What’s that? Anything to do with all the girls in uniform?” I asked shrewdly, and didn’t fail to notice the girls looking at me with shifty eyes. Not Kana, just the others…

  “No, that is another matter, and one we will talk to you about soon-soon. I give you my word.” Shaeu promised, so once more I let it go. She be tricky, but she never ht lies. It’s fine.

  “All right, but… you know, I think military-style uniforms are hot. Maybe ter…”

  Shiro and Shaeu both blushed, and Asha nodded slowly, eager to please. Kana giggled, saying she would wear it for me, but wouldn’t take it off just yet, earning a stern telling off from her father, and after that moment of levity, Shaeu took my hand in her small ones, her face set resolutely. “The grand opening of the new Spring of Clear Refles is upon us. Many-many Fae have boured to create a perfeviro, with a number of cafes, bars, shops and other wonderful-wonderful mortal iions surrounding the dazzling waters. A great number of powerful Fae will be-be in attendance, and I would have you there, as this is our achievement, and…” she swallowed. “I would have you meet my father. He has been most-most annoying and persistent, asking to see you whenever I see-see him.”

  Meeting the parents, huh? I frowned, and Shaeu’s face fell, but I gently stroked her hair with my free hand, popping a kiss on her lips. As she sought reassurance, our towisting together noisily, Kana’s father looking away, Ixitt snickering and Ginneka looking on with bare-faced envy, I held her close. When we parted, I spoke. “Of course I’ll e. Your father is my father, just as you treat mine and my mom as your own, and Aiko as your sister. I’ll be sure to do my best to impress as well. Though I hope we don’t end up duelling, like I did with Anna and Shaeraggo.”

  Shaeu ughed nervously, wiping at her damp lips. “It should not-not e to that… I hope.” She couldn’t lie to me. “But… father is proud of me, and he does-does know you are the reason I have ged so.”

  “No, you ged through your own efforts.” I disagreed, and she ughed, kissing me again.

  “Perhaps, but without you to motivate me, I would not-not have striven for ge. We should say we both tributed, no-no?”

  “All right, enough of that.” Shiro cut iween us. “Asha, at times like this we o be assertive, or we’ll miss out. Damn, Aki sure is cold, ign beauties like us…”

  “If I may…” Ixitt interrupted the banter. “…I am eager to begin, and as my patron, and the ohat made this possible, you should witness it.”

  He’s right. Getting down to business, we all gathered around Ixitt and his mae. “So, this is the recyg device, right? The ohat will turn waste into treasures?” I turned my attention to Asha. “I have to admit, humanity is wasteful and untidy. We gee huge amounts of rubbish, and ordinarily we burn it or bury a great deal of it, polluting the air, ground and water. There’s just so many people and we all want to live as best we , and recyg is hard, so only a fra gets reused.”

  Asha nodded, casting her eyes towards her Tree, the sapling now growing here. Fortunately it didn’t sprout inside our house but on the hillside. We o fe off and look after it… Kana and I had given it a once-over already, so it wasn’t a priority for now. “I see. Yes, we Fae have always lived with nature and the elements, but mortals are different… yet you still create wonders.” She gestured to the cars, the tall buildings that defied her imagination, and more. “Eveerray Tree… at first I was affronted, unsure… but now I see the beauty of harmony, of mortal and Fae ideals co-existing. So…” she looked at Ixitt. “…this is the true height of those ideals?”

  “As expected of a venerable daughter of Orion. You are wise…” Ixitt said happily.

  “I am not venerable…” Asha pouted, and I was struck by the faot even Fae women liked to talk about their age. “…I am in the blooming of my youth. The time before this was but a bad dream, it is not me, not anymore.”

  “I uand. I spoke rashly.” Ixitt apologised smoothly. “My wives say I sometimes be too blunt when I am researg. But it was intended as praise. You are correct. Trash to treasure, that is the aim.” I imagined if he was ba his normal form his tail would be shing eagerly. “I do approve. Mortal Sce exists to push boundaries, t advas that make life easier, happier, safer or more enjoyable. Yet there are always sequehere is never something for free. So…” he looked at me and I finished for him.

  “Our priority has to be to weather the storm, to save Earth, both the Material and the Astral, from destru, invasion or any other threats. But… I also want to make the world a better pce.” I looked at everyone fondly, even Ixitt and Ginneka. “I was running away, living alone, going through the motions, too afraid to care about people, as I didn’t believe I could protect them or make them happy alone…”

  “Oh Aki, you damn idiot. I guess I’m ooo though. If we were both braver, smarter, more ho, we could have been dating long before this…” Shiro muttered, and I favoured her with a broad grin.

  “That aside… thanks to Shaeu and Eri healing my heart, showing me I could protect others, I’ve realised I want the world those I love live in to be beautiful, the best it be. So… we do things nobody else has ever dreamed of.” My smile turned shrewd, and I imagined Hinata would be blushing if she could see it. “However, I’m also practical. We ’t thrive on good iions. So… while we make our world shine brightly, we might as well make a truckload of money. I have a lot of girlfriends and a big extended family, all with expeastes, after all.”

  “Yes, I’m not a cheap girl, not at all.” Kana smiled, toug her hairclip. “But more than that… Haru-, Miyu-, the others, eveengu who have joined us… you have to look after everyone.”

  “Yes, that’s what it means to be an Astral Emperor, I think. If I’m going to rule, I’m going to do it the right way. So… I hose trillions. But I’m not going to get it by pilging the Earth, because why would I damage what’s ours?” Whether I end up as the Astral Emperor of Earth is still far from decided, but… I have to step up. I ’t assume someone else will do it, or if they do, they’ll be benevolent. I have responsibilities, and they grow every day. Tsukiko-san, mount Atago, Ginneka, Nie Ling… I’m responsible for all of them, in different ways. So… “Recyg and waste disposal are massive industries. I did some research, and st year the market value of it was more than a trillion yen. And that’s a market I want to be earning from.”

  “We do it better. After all… why destroy, when we … transform!” Ixitt said eagerly. He had set up his device, and now poured a heap of trash into the cube. “This is but a small-scale test, fortuhe ether density here is high for the Material, so it is a worthy spot for the first experiment… I fear I am going to need you to spend some ether.” He said apologetically, and I waved it away. We have it, so that’s fine…

  “As you know…” He started to lecture us proudly, and Kana stifled a theatrical yawn. Ign her, he tinued. “Alchemy be used to break down substances. Now… in the Seelie Court it is used to great effe preparing ingredients for potions and poultices, separating out valuable minerals from crude ores, and other simir tasks. But we are only limited by our knowledge.” He started to call on his aether. “I have grown so much stronger, and I will not stop gaining strength. Knowledge is a form of strength. I have spent a great deal…”

  “Yes, yes you have.” I interjected, and he grinned shamefacedly.

  “You have to spend to earn a bigger return.” He chortled. “I ied in many books, much equipment, and I have studied Chemistry, Biology, Physid more besides. I have just scratched the surface. There is almost too much for one being to learn… but while I live I shall tio absorb knowledge, and craft wonders. But… Alchemy is limited by knowledge. Extrag metal from an ore is wonderful, but what is left over is useless. But is it? Everything has value. So…” A rainbow of ether surged, and he grimaced at the far greater difficulty of w the device here. “…why not be paid to take this waste, and the paid again, likely far more, for the treasure it actually is!”

  He squinted, and the bluesteel wires shone, f a series of patterns. Looks like other metals are inid on it too. It’s a bit like a magic circle, I suppose… We made noises of approval, and as the light died down, ihe cube was a wonderous se. It was filled with smaller crystal cubes, each holding a different material. Some were seemingly empty, others tained powders, liquids or small ingots, and with my Eye I could see them all.

  Oxygen. Hydrogen. Carbon. Iron. Lead. Tin. Sili. Even tiny traces of gold and silver.

  “Hey, that’s … isn’t that sili?” Shiro said, surprised, looking at a pile of dark-grey granules. “I guessed you’d get some out when you started recyg those gss jars and bottles, but… damn, how pure is that stuff?” She had her pho, only to see it could go for a det amount. “It’s way more valuable than the gss it’s made from. Semiductors and other things use a ton of the pure stuff worldwide… uh…”

  “That’s the thing.” I grinned. “Turning gss into recycled gss is good for the p, I suppose, but turning it into sili and other metals is better. Though…” I poio one small cube, taining sodium, and another taining calcium. “…ste is a pain.”

  “Trash to treasure. A ton of average waste costs fifty thousao ndfill. That’s hardly the sort of money we are looking for. But higher value wastes… we get the money, and if we get a rge enough factory set up, we turn that into a ton of assorted materials, many of which will be worth their weight in gold. Or even be gold.” Ixitt grinned. “Better, we use many of the materials in our other projects, redug our costs substantially, ahe rest. A ton of waste could be transformed into many millions of yen, potentially.”

  “There was forty-one million tons of waste disposed of in Japan st year alohink of it…” I grinned.

  “I’m thinking of it, I am.” Shiro was tapping on her phone. “Uh… even if we only took ten pert of that… damn.”

  “So…” I turned back to Asha. “The waste, the unsightly messes, we’ll them all up. And instead of endless ndfills and furnaces we’ll have forests, gardens and gdes. The air will bee as pollution decreases, and while the Seelie Court learns mortal ways…” Shaeu that. “We’ll learn Fae ways too, respeature.”

  “And our experiments will have the budget they need, no, deserve.” Ixitt grinned, setting up his devices. “Now… it is simply infeasible for us to run a huge array of these devices ourselves, the ether cost would be staggering and it would take us away from our important tasks. But…” he grinned. “Peion… that is definitely a mortal speciality…”

  Yeah, Hinata and Mayumi-san are going to be very excited when they see this… very excited indeed. As my Eye shone, I looked at some of the pure elements, and ideas were whirling through my brain. I the a chill, as I wondered just what sort of dreadful on Alchemy could be in the wrong hands… Damn, disassembling someoo their pos would be instantly fatal. Though it obviously ’t be easy, or Mortal Engineers would be the deadliest warriors in the nds of the Fae…

  ShipTeaser