“I am unsure of what to make of this…” Asha said, having left our home at the Shrine. She was now looking to the north, towards the distant skyline of central Tokyo, marvelling at the seemingly endless tall buildings, and the Tokyo Tower and Skytree, which even exceeded her Tree in height. “The air…” she took a breath, her calm face wrinkling a little with some discomfort. “…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 cleanest, but…” I shot a sidelong glance at Ixitt. “I think that might be about to change.”

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 confusion. On hearing my words, he followed my gaze, seeing the cars. “Of course, of course. With the weight of an electric 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 computers, calculating. “With ten times the battery capacity at minimum… assume we can reduce the weight by a factor of five, while giving twice the range…” After a while he grinned, his calculations pleasing him. “The scale of conversion to clean electric vehicles would be a massive undertaking, but who would want the battery technology of the current paradigm, assuming we can make ours work for a reasonable price?”

“Yes, the first step is to convert the coal and gas-hungry power grid to clean generation, and then vehicles, homes…” I looked at Asha warmly. “Of course, the second stage is greenery. We can 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 laughed. “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 Shaeula, Motoko and Natsumi. Seeing how tired the latter two were, I kissed them tenderly, praising them for their contributions during the mount Atago trials, then sent them off with a Black Wolf Company driver to take them home.

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

“I think getting 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 on whether we can make the technology 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 was pleased. 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 your game were your heroes.” I laughed. 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. Once the money starts rolling in, we can expand operations, buy up as much relevant land as possible, and also start caching supplies. Food and water, tools, weapons… we’re taking no chances.” One thing I’ve noticed in a certain sort of apocalypse story, that of those who get a second chance, they always stock up in advance. We’d be foolish not to do the same.

“Indeed.” Ixitt agreed. “Having seen the plans for your new estate, the hill underneath, it will be transformed into bunker, access hub and storage 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 can bring further Mortal Engineers here, and those with elemental talents, we can rapidly proceed.”

“I don’t know if she can send from the Boundary to here. We need to test it. But… the paperwork should have been done by now. Let me check my phone…” I probably should have done this 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 needed to speak to me about something important. Shiro glanced 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 exchanged a look with Shaeula, 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 interested. Kana had come over, along with her father, and Ixitt sent her running to fetch some items, as he began to set up his Alchemical device in 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 can be in two places at once now, no? Surely that means you should be able to answer your phone.” At her criticism, I felt compelled to justify myself.

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

“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 discomfort. “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 was a happy 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, sorry again.” I continued to apologise, before changing the subject. “So, what did you need?”

She paused, hesitant, and that surprised me. She’s normally so composed. After a while there was another long sigh, this one of resignation. “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. Ignoring them, I continued.

“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 one that 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 popular a topic of conversation, 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 interesting. But you want me to go on, right?”

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

“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 cans, bottles, paper, food wastes and more assorted junk.

“No kidding. Seeing Aki and Arisu on TV would be something to see. We can tease them both for ages…” 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 laid the groundwork for us to profit. We should brainstorm some questions, do you want to meet up later?”

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, when the situation calls for it, she can speak about anything and sound like an expert.” Shiro agreed. Everyone was gathered around Ixitt, so I took the opportunity to make another call, sorting out the transportation of Nie Ling to us. I also left a message on Mayumi-san’s phone, as well as Hinata’s, since they 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. Placing the Alchemical device inside, he began fiddling, while I waited for the person on the other 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 need to discuss her future. Can you make time to visit this evening? I know it’s short notice but…”

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

“No, don’t worry. I’ll drop everything and hurry over right away.” She paused. “It isn’t just the nobility who can 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 unshed tears. “I don’t care about prophecy, not anymore. To me… you’re the one Tsukiko 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 understand. 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 chance now.”

“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 can turn her down if she’s interested. 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 honestly, she’s gorgeous 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 choice in the end. I’ll respect whatever she decides.” I said, and her damp laughter 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 to arrange transport…” With that she hung up, and I turned to see the others looking at me.

“She’s right. We all know how this ends. And I’m fine with it. Though I have to be honest, I think she’s intruding on my uniqueness a bit, Aki.” Shiro said, scratching her cheek idly. “We’re both perfect specimens of humanity. I never thought 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.” Shaeula smirked. “We all-all are. Besides, it is the job of a bold male to claim 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 changed, 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.” Shaeula promised, so once more I let it go. She can be tricky, but she never outright lies. It’s fine.

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

Shiro and Shaeula 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, Shaeula took my hand in her small ones, her face set resolutely. “The grand opening of the new Spring of Clear Reflections is upon us. Many-many Fae have laboured to create a perfect environment, with a number of cafes, bars, shops and other wonderful-wonderful mortal inventions 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 Shaeula’s face fell, but I gently stroked her hair with my free hand, popping a kiss on her lips. As she sought reassurance, our tongues twisting 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 come. 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.”

Shaeula laughed nervously, wiping at her damp lips. “It should not-not come 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 changed so.”

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

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

“All right, enough of that.” Shiro cut in-between us. “Asha, at times like this we need to be assertive, or we’ll miss out. Damn, Aki sure is cold, ignoring beauties like us…”

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

He’s right. Getting down to business, we all gathered around Ixitt and his machine. “So, this is the recycling device, right? The one that will turn waste into treasures?” I turned my attention to Asha. “I have to admit, humanity is wasteful and untidy. We generate 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 can, and recycling is hard, so only a fraction 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 need to fence it 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. “Even the terrace on my 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 fact not 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 understand. I spoke rashly.” Ixitt apologised smoothly. “My wives say I sometimes can be too blunt when I am researching. But it was intended as praise. You are correct. Trash to treasure, that is the aim.” I imagined if he was back in his normal form his tail would be lashing eagerly. “I do approve. Mortal Science exists to push boundaries, to bring advancements that make life easier, happier, safer or more enjoyable. Yet there are always consequences. There 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 destruction, invasion or any other threats. But… I also want to make the world a better place.” 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 one too though. If we were both braver, smarter, more honest, we could have been dating long before this…” Shiro muttered, and I favoured her with a broad grin.

“That aside… thanks to Shaeula 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 can be. So… we can 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 can’t thrive on good intentions. 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 expensive tastes, after all.”

“Yes, I’m not a cheap girl, not at all.” Kana smiled, touching her hairclip. “But more than that… Haru-chan, Miyu-chan, the others, even the Tengu 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 need those trillions. But I’m not going to get it by pillaging 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 can’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… “Recycling and waste disposal are massive industries. I did some research, and last year the market value of it was more than a trillion yen. And that’s a market I want to be earning from.”

“We can do it better. After all… why destroy, when we can… 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, fortunately the 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. Ignoring her, he continued. “Alchemy can be used to break down substances. Now… in the Seelie Court it is used to great effect in preparing ingredients for potions and poultices, separating out valuable minerals from crude ores, and other similar 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 invested in many books, much equipment, and I have studied Chemistry, Biology, Physics and more besides. I have just scratched the surface. There is almost too much for one being to learn… but while I live I shall continue to absorb knowledge, and craft wonders. But… Alchemy is limited by knowledge. Extracting 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 working the device here. “…why not be paid to take this waste, and then get paid again, likely far more, for the treasure it actually is!”

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

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

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

“That’s the thing.” I grinned. “Turning glass into recycled glass is good for the planet, I suppose, but turning it into silicon and other metals is better. Though…” I pointed to one small cube, containing sodium, and another containing calcium. “…storage is a pain.”

“Trash to treasure. A ton of average waste costs fifty thousand yen to landfill. That’s hardly the sort of money we are looking for. But higher value wastes… we get the money, and if we can get a large enough factory set up, we can 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 can use many of the materials in our other projects, reducing our costs substantially, and sell the 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 last year alone. Think of it…” I grinned.

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

“So…” I turned back to Asha. “The waste, the unsightly messes, we’ll clean them all up. And instead of endless landfills and furnaces we’ll have forests, gardens and glades. The air will become clean as pollution decreases, and while the Seelie Court learns mortal ways…” Shaeula nodded at that. “We’ll learn Fae ways too, respect nature.”

“And our experiments will have the budget they need, no, deserve.” Ixitt grinned, setting up his next 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. “Power generation… 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 then felt a chill, as I wondered just what sort of dreadful weapon Alchemy could be in the wrong hands… Damn, disassembling someone into their components would be instantly fatal. Though it obviously can’t be easy, or Mortal Engineers would be the deadliest warriors in the lands of the Fae…