The invite

Red eyes look out the window, the tainted windows painting the world a soft blue in colour. The light that filtered inside the room painted it a soft blue, the lightest of shades.

The scenery outside also had the magnificent and calming view of the same and it made Asato wonder if the world was as peaceful outside his scope of vision. Birds flew all around the field and amused red eyes took the scene in.

After the fiasco last night he had decided a normal day would do him wonders. So he had left for school in a fairly good cheer, greeted students and teachers with his usual causal business smile and handed in his homework done by the shadow servants at home.

He had many important things to deal with than to do homework after all.

The day had passed in the usual slow and peaceful fashion and people went about their normal and elusive ways.

The last period was Lab which was a neutral ground for him. On one hand, he liked the freedom the teachers in class provided. On the other, it was too boring on the days where no experiments were to take place.

The teacher droned on about the properties of a material he would never need to know about. The white page of his notebook was inked black with lines forming buildings of all kinds.

When Asato had been old enough to know what an architect was, it had piped his interest in the field. The time he found out that the architect for others and the one in his field were different, the love for the former had grown.

He wanted to make it his cover, but his teachers had other ideas. According to the spirit, he never got the same of, a healer was a much better and neutral profession for one to participate in.

Asato wanted to argue but the spirit had already done a lot so he had folded. But his passion for the former showed up time and time again.

It also developed his interest in backgrounds and hidden details which had saved his life more than once. According to his teacher, once he dies, he would have to look for his own successor which sounded tedious and nothing he was looking forward to.

This meant he needed to live a long, happy and healthy life for as long as he could. Nothing else would do.

That was how he discovered the existence of so many supernatural creatures with abilities around him. Even humans one would deem as normal had some sense of paranormal powers with them.

It was fascinating how it balanced the forces in the world for everyone played a key part.

Once again, the red-eyed moved to look outside the window and found a pair just outside of visual range. The girl seemed to make gestures difficult to understand and the guy had an awkward smile on his face.

The girl pushed something out to the boy. From afar, it looked like a medium shaped box. The guy's tense shoulders were clearly visible before he bowed and left, the box still extended in the girl's hand.

The girl looked lost, gave a look to the box in her hand and threw it down in frustration.

Amused red eyes took the shape of the girl stomping away from the scene.

Asato knew the girl well. The name she went by was Haru, a typical brown hair blue eyes girl in school. Shy and soft-spoken - help for all.

All that was her cover, however, Asato knew who she was. What she was.

She was an overlooker for the demons, an eye in the human world and one of the ten calamities of the demon world. Of course, no one was really privy to that knowledge but himself.

The woman had descended on earth to take a rain check and gotten caught. However, Asato could not pin any problem on her so he had to let her

go.

The next time he saw her, she had appeared at his school in the guise of a female student trying to woo a male student in the upper grade.

According to her, she had fallen hard and fast for the male when he had saved her once. In a typical love story, the hero saves the damsel and she falls in love and then they marry.

However, there was a twist - the guy did not remember her at all. In fact, Asato doubted it was the same guy for Haru had a big problem. She was awful at remembering faces and now she looked offended too.

Looked like Asato would have to do a little damage control on the scene.

"Teacher, may I be excused? I need to go to the restroom" he raised his hand to draw attention. The teacher just nodded at him and he was out.

__________________________

Asato could feel Haru's power leading him toward the back of the school buildings. It was a place seldomly visited by students due to its poor

maintenance.

The grass almost reached his knees as he made his way through the field.

The biggest reason no student approached this place was due to the fear of snakes which roamed this place. However, that was neither a problem

for Haru nor Asato.

"Rejected again?" Asatoasked the girl who looked almost in tears through the whole process. He offered her a handkerchief which she rejected. In fact, she didn't even pay it any mind at all.

"Are you here to gloat? You told me to give up but I can't" the girl was crying and it appeared in her voice too. It was far too airy and naisly to be

normal.

It almost hurt his ears and Asato wanted to turn around and go away.

Alas, he had important work to do here so he could not. His plan depended on her taking the bait he was throwing.

"Of course. I told you to give up. Besides, you'll outlive him ten times over" Asato casually let out and a new batch of tears began new.

"What do you know? You genderless freak, are you even capable of liking people? Why are you here? Just to mock me?" the insult slid off Asato

like water from oil.

He had by far came to accept and enjoy his position. These insults might as well be praises to him. However, Haru really needed to stop or she would attract unwanted attention to them.

"Last night there was an unusual case out and about. Know anything about it?" Asato started with a common topic. These were small talks and both sides knew it by heart.

"Was there? Has a human been practising forbidden arts? I don't know anything about it at all" that was her way of saying that she was involved but could not say it out aloud.

Out of the then calamities, Haru was the second youngest and often native. Her interest in humans also meant that she was far more sympathetic and willing to provide information if needed.

And that was why she was such a perfect partner and male. A double-edged sword if you may, which was more than acceptable to Asato who played neither parties.

"I see. So, if I were to say that hypothetically, the paranormal bureau has an unusual case in which they will present me with later, won't you be

interested?"

Asato was a straight-A student, but he had another side. To hide his biggest secret, he worked as the neutral doctor with all parties involved. That combined with his inherited knowledge from his ancestors, it made for a combination everyone wanted.

Hence, he was the first choice for information. If he was willing to give it out that is.

He had his own standards too. And those were tough to achieve. Even Haru understood what he was offering as she frowned.

"Are you sure about it? Isn't that confidential information to have? It will raise too many flags" she asked and he shrugged.

All Asato was willing to do was to provide an outlet. It was up to her to find herself a bait and a catching hook to take it.

"It's all a maybe, why are you so stressed. Oh, look at the time. I need to head back home" with that Asato made his way back inside the building. By now, the final bell had rung and people were leaving their classrooms in a rush.

Many stopped to wish him a good day which he replied in kind, others he just waved at. Finally, he made his way back to the lab and picked up

his bad.

"Your assignment was up to mark as always. Keep up the good work" his teacher was still there. With the parting words, he made his way out toward the car waiting for him.

A shadow man opened up the door for him. No one paid any attention to him for shadow man were common tools used by the supernatural. For others, they appeared as normal servants.

The car picked up speed as it drove toward the shadow mansion in the lone place far away.