Kumiko turned the pages of The Illustrated Demon Horde's Night Parade while finding that she already recognized many of the creatures and beings depicted.

The final page of volume one contained an image of a fox blowing out fire, and she smiled despite herself. Although the previous illustrations had all seemed accurate, this one was almost laughable in how far it was from the truth.

She had never produced flames or any other source of light from her mouth, so after some contemplation, she concluded that this was another case of the natural being confused for the supernatural.

However, she soon remembered the more pressing matter at hand and spent a short amount of time watching Mr. Kimura as he took notes, before continuing with her research.

She turned to volume two and paused upon seeing the first entry present. It was a picture of a jorōgumo, which unlike many other of the supernatural entities she'd encountered over the years, continued to remain the stuff of legend.

Nevertheless, it was perhaps just as well that she had never encountered one before. There was something about how those legs had been drawn that was quite grotesque, and the smaller spiders dangling by flimsy threads of silk looked no better.

She sighed and momentarily closed her eyes to regain focus on the real issue at hand. Stop it. Don't get carried away...

She continued to study each page, but none of the creatures looked anywhere near as human as Ichiro.

Unless whatever thing he was happened to be a master of disguise, she thought it unlikely that an answer would be found in this book.

With a sigh, she pushed it aside and directed her gaze towards the spot on the floor where Mr. Kimura was reclining with another book. She called out his name, and he looked up, startled.

"What is it?"

"How is your research going? Have you found anything?"

Mr. Kimura creased his thick eyebrows as he frowned and got up into a sitting position. "Well, I've taken some notes according to what little you've told me. You can read them if you want."

He handed the list to her, and she reached out in hesitation, letting her hand hover for a moment or two before taking the piece of paper.

She skimmed over it, noticing headings such as 'Ghoul,' 'Vampire,' and 'Zombie.' They piqued her curiosity, and she opted to read the page carefully from the beginning.

The information that Mr. Kimura had collected was intriguing, but none of the traits of such undead beings matched what she'd observed in her husband. He'd never once behaved like a mindless monster, nor had he ever possessed some uncontrollable hunger for blood or human flesh.

She handed the list back in dismay, fearing that it would be ages before the mystery was solved.

Mr. Kimura retrieved it and gave her an expectant look. "So, what do you think?"

"Ichiro isn't any of those things. I'm sure of it."

He sighed in frustration. "Well, there's only so much I can do, when you won't tell me anything."

Kumiko watched as he tucked the page back within his notebook. She hadn't told him much for a good reason. As far as she was concerned, he was still a crafty tanuki who would use her secrets for his own dishonest goals and hasten her doom.

Unwilling to put herself at any further risk, she set her sights on the open book by Mr. Kimura's side and hurriedly crawled towards it.

She grabbed it by one corner and dragged it across the carpet, but he seized the other side and tried to pull it back.

"What are you doing? Let me have a read..."

"Not until you tell me everything," Mr. Kimura stubbornly countered, his forehead and eyebrows creased in determination. "We're supposed to be a team."

"Team? I don't even trust you..."

She tugged harder, hoping that she could free the book from his grasp, but he was also relentless.

"You can't solve this mystery on your own. You know that..."

His words struck a chord, and she instinctively loosened her grip, which allowed him to reclaim the book. A deep sense of dismay came over her as he held it tight against his chest like he was cradling a baby.

"I'm waiting," he said tauntingly, a crooked smile spreading across his face.

She realized the trap he had set, and as seconds turned into minutes, she resigned herself to glaring at him and praying that he'd give in first.

All the while, she replayed the past twenty-four hours in her head until a realization struck her.

There was still a way to win this battle, and she needed only to say the right words.

"Mr. Kimura," she began, leaning forward to make eye contact. "There's something I should tell you."

"What?"

"While I was taping you to that chair, I took some time to search your pockets and burn your precious leaf."

His eyes and mouth widened in horror. "No..."

He plunged one hand into his left pocket, and it was then that Kumiko made her move. She yanked the book from him then charged into the kitchen, locking the door in a hurry to keep him out.

Once that was done, she took her place on the nearby stool and began reading, as he banged against the door while crying out in anguish.

******

At a few minutes past two, Kumiko reopened the kitchen door and tiptoed into the living room, holding the book under one arm while rubbing her tired eyes. She had spent an hour going through the pages but hadn't found anything particularly new.

Mr. Kimura was lying upon the floor with his hands supporting the back of his head. He sensed her presence and sat up slowly to reveal that he was still upset over his destroyed leaf.

"You bitch..." he cursed just loud enough for her to hear, as she knelt to gather all five of their collected books into a pile.

She spun around in surprise at such an insult, though she knew that it wasn't entirely unwarranted. "You're right. That's what I am..."

He frowned even harder, apparently unconvinced that she wasn't hurt by his choice of words. "Hey, I just called you something bad. Aren't you going to get angry?"

"Nope. Not this time..."

"Why not?!"

"I already told you. A bitch is just what I am."

He slumped back down with a groan and began to yell while flailing his arms. "What's gotten into you?! Why are you so calm?!"

"I'm not what you think I am," she replied, echoing what she'd said in the car concerning her age.

"Well, enough with these secrets! Tell me the truth! What are you?!"

She felt some of her patience fade, and she dropped the pile of books on the floor, causing a heavy thud that made him flinch. "Fine, I will..."

With a deep breath, she allowed herself to take some of the spiritual energy that went into retaining her human form and redirect it elsewhere. Sure enough, this resulted in her right arm losing its former appearance and taking on the color and shape of a fox's leg.

Mr. Kimura gave a loud gasp and shrunk away in shock. "You're... you're a..."

"I'm a fox in disguise. Surprised?"

He nodded vigorously, to which she could only chuckle despite the additional risks that had arisen. It seemed like they were even for the time being, and although their current lack of progress was something to be concerned about, she couldn't help but feel more relaxed than she had in ages.

It was almost as if she was reliving the moment shortly after Ichiro had happened across her in a more beastly form. She had expected him to recoil in horror or disgust, but he had instead reached out to gently stroke her fur in awe, thus proving that he was willing to accept her no matter what form she took.

The chances of their marriage ever returning to the way it was were slim, but that didn't mean it was a lost cause for her to try to build things anew. He'd reacted better than expected to his first glimpses of modern life, and if it hadn't been for Tsutomu's refusal to pass on, he would surely have continued to demonstrate significant progress.

Despite that, she couldn't blame a man like Tsutomu for hanging on to whatever second chance at life he got. She imagined that he was probably roaming the brightly lit city streets and enjoying everything that Tokyo had to offer during the nighttime.

It was cynical to assume that a divorced salaryman would care only for self-indulgence. Yet, she shuddered nonetheless at the thought of all the disreputable nightclubs and brothels operating in Kabukichō at this hour.

Anyone who looked like Ichiro was bound to receive numerous offers of sex, or perhaps even attract some cruel gangster's jealousy. Either way, the results would be unsavory, and at that moment, she felt a renewed determination to do whatever was necessary to get him back.

"Mr. Kimura," she spoke up, catching the attention of her reluctant partner. "Does the name Tsutomu Higuchi ring a bell?"

Mr. Kimura lifted his head and shoulders to stare at her. The wide-eyed look on his face made it clear that he was still stunned by her revelation. "Wasn't he the salaryman who went missing two weeks ago?"

"You're right."

"So, what about him?" Mr. Kimura asked, unaware of why she needed to bring up such a person.

She swallowed while knowing that it would take some time to explain everything. "He..." she began, before hesitating. "I have reason to believe that he is in Ichiro's body."

Mr. Kimura choked on air as he sat straight up. He pointed at her while grinning in triumph. "Ha! I had a feeling it was you!"

Kumiko could only stare at him in disbelief, for such an assumption was a logical one despite its lack of truth. "It wasn't me, shocking as that may seem," she corrected him. "But I did take his soul and put it inside Ichiro."

"I see. So that's where things must have gone wrong..."

"Bingo. He woke up thinking that he was Tsutomu, but then he hit his head, and I thought that would be the end of it."

"Wait, he hit his head?" Mr. Kimura queried, looking slightly amused at the notion.

"Yes, he did. And now that I think of it-"

"Hitting his head makes him switch identities."

Kumiko clenched her teeth while feeling a little irritated at having him finish her sentence. "Well, that's what I wanted to say. But it won't be possible if we can't find him."

"Unless he gets into an accident, of course."

"Well, that's what I'm afraid of. Time keeps passing by, and I know that the chance of it happening will only grow."

His expression turned to one of sympathy, and he reached out to touch her shoulder. She instinctively pulled herself away so that his hand was left suspended in the air. He withdrew it before speaking.  "I have an idea if it makes you feel better."

"Really?" Kumiko said in response, skeptical that whatever he had in mind would actually be a viable option. "What is it?"

"Alright, here goes. Madame Ether seems to be great at sensing dead things, so I think we should book a whole day's worth of appointments and drive her around this city until she finds him."

Kumiko swallowed. It would undoubtedly be dangerous to draw a mortal into their plans, but she simply couldn't think of another solution.

For that reason, she prayed silently that Madame Ether was good at keeping secrets and then agreed to the proposal. "Fine, we'll do it. There's no other way..."

"Glad to hear it," he replied with a grin. "I'll call her at nine o'clock sharp."

The matter was settled, and Kumiko became aware of an uneasy heaviness in her stomach, which was strange since she hadn't eaten for over twelve hours.

Despite this, enjoying a meal would be nearly impossible with all of the fear and worry plaguing her, so she resigned herself to waiting until morning broke.

Perhaps then, she would be relaxed enough to snack on something and call her boss to ask for a short leave of absence.