Plum Blossom Mansion

[Warning. Individual Ryuuji Minamoto is trying to access your information with <Appraisal> skill. Would you like to have your information hidden?]

Too late to say that now don't you think?

*SIGH*

Oh well. Just have my name and age displayed. The others block them.

[Affirmative.]

At least Slayer is doing his – her? – job.

Wait…

Does the [Slayer System] have a gender?

[I am what you want me to be.]

But the voice sounds feminine, although monotone. I guess I should consider Slayer as a girl.

"Mr. Frost. You're either someone very powerful to block my <Appraisal> or there's something more to it." I hear Ryuuji say.

"That's just your imagination."

I'll let you have a taste of your own medicine then.

<Appraisal>!

Name: Ryuuji Minamoto

Age: 28

Level: 15

Title: [Heir of the Dawn Union] [Hunter] [Assassin]

Stats:

>Strength: 880

>Intelligence: 860

>Agility: 970

>Stamina: 950

>Defense: 890

Skill List:

He only has two titles but he seems to be impressive already. Dawn Union should be Akatsuki-gumi, if I'm not mistaken and he's the heir of their yakuza group. Not to mention he's at level fifteen. And those stats!

Wow!

Sakura on the other hand… I only saw a handful of her information which makes her a lot more formidable than her older brother.

"Your stats are impressive Ryuuji."

"We're on a first name basis already? Well, I don't mind. You found yourself an interesting boy sister."

"Troublesome too apparently. Anyway, I will be bringing him to Plum Blossom Mansion. We should be going."

"Sakura…" calls Sakura's father.

Mr. Minamoto seems like a very taciturn person, but I have a feeling he's not a simple man either.

Well, he is the current head of Akatsuki-gum.

Maybe I should use <Appraisal> on him as well.

Name: Takashi Minamoto

Age: 52

Level: ???

Title: [Lord of ???]

[Notification. Please increase <Appraisal> level to access more information.]

[Warning. Unknown power is blocking <Appraisal>.]

Eh?

And here I thought that Sakura has an insane power. It turns out even her father is the same or even worse.

Wait…

He's fifty-two years old? Why does he look the same age as Ryuuji?

[Answer. Possibility of illusion to make himself appear younger is present.]

[Answer. Possibility of a skill that makes him look younger is present.]

Oh wow. Is that the same as my <Immortality> skill?

[Answer. Undetermined.]

Damn! I think I just made eye contact with Mr. Minamoto.

"He is the survivor of the Kawayan Village Massacre, is he not?"

How does he know about that?

Kwayan Village is, or more accurately was the village I came from. It's the same village that got wiped out seven years ago with me as the only survivor.

Wow. I can't believe I became a survivor thrice.

"That is enough father. April does not remember most of the events and it is better that way. So please excuse us."

Sakura is suddenly dragging me away from the room before I can even ask questions. I wanted to make things clear, and I wanted to ask her what she meant.

But it looks like I won't be getting the answers I want anytime soon.

***

Wow. That's a big house.

Sakura, Klint, Sylvia and I are standing at the entrance of a mansion not that far from the traditional Japanese mansion Sakura brought us prior. Unlike the previous one, the house in front of us looks more western with a balcony and a set of pillars in the entrance.

"This is Plum Blossom Mansion. You will be living here from now on."

"Eeeh… The place looks so beautiful."

I guess the reason it's called Plum Blossom Mansion is because of the abundance of plum trees at the front yard. It's still spring in Japan so I can see them in full bloom too.

The red and white flowers look very majestic.

Hmm? What's wrong with Sylvia and Klint? Why are they staring at me like I grew two heads?

"April," Sylvia calls. "You can speak Japanese?"

Ha?

"Me? Speak Japanese? No."

Italian maybe and English. And maybe a little bit of German but not Japanese.

"But you've been talking to Miss Sakura in Japanese all this time."

HAAAAA?????

What is she talking about?

[Answer. You have the skill <Language Arts> in maximum level. You can understand any languages you hear and see.]

Hey. Isn't that cheating?

[Note. <Language Arts> is the reason you can understand spirits and the rest of the supernatural.]

Whoa. I can't believe I did not even notice such a thing before. What should I tell them?

Sakura, why are you only smiling like an idiot?

"Come inside."

I guess I have to explain to them later. We have a tour to get to.

The house seems a little out of place though. Most of the architectural designs as well as the decorations of the mansion are western. It looks so out of place in the property owned by a yakuza family where the other buildings look like the traditional ones.

"Most of those that live here are not directly involved with the Dawn Union. We also had a few foreign kids live here, so don't be too surprised by the styles. Right now, we only have Niklaus but there used to be more than two non-Japanese that lived here. With you, Sylvia and Klint, we now have a total of four foreign residents!"

How can she answer things in my mind?

I seriously won't be surprised if she says she's a telepath or something.

"But it is also apparent that everyone who lives here is protected by both the Minamoto and Tsuchimikado Clans."

"Does that mean they're also involved in 'that'?" I ask.

I just have to ask. My curiosity is eating me up.

"If you mean that they're involved in yakuza matters, then it's probably a yes and a no."

Huh?

"We do have a hand in the Dawn Union but we only take action if they manage to snag themselves in something involving the supernatural. Most of the times, they work for the Tsuchimikados or the Onmyouji Union."

There's another word I'm not sure the definition of. But if I am to take a guess, an onmyouji would be someone who practices the onmyoudou or the spirit arts. They can expel demons if needed. Something like exorcists, except they don't work for the church.

Or at least that's what Slayer told me.

"There are currently five residents here including me, of course that does not include the familiars. With the three of you as addition there's a total of eight now. Come on, I'll show you to your rooms."

The rest of the day passes by relatively normal. The three of us were shown our rooms and the rooms available for general access. The one that caught my attention during the tour was the huge training area at the back of the mansion.

"The training area is protected by magic." Sakura says.

We're currently in the living room, eating some snacks. Sylvia and Klint are in their rooms, organizing their things. We may seem pretty chill with everything going on but I still can't help but worry about those two.

True Sylvia is not a talkative person but Klint is. During the tour, I could see Klint's eagerness in his eyes but it seemed like he was holding himself back.

Is it because we're in a new place? I should talk to the two later. Despite how I look like, the two are under my care. At least that's what I decided.

"Hey Sakura, there's something about this place."

I have noticed it when we arrived but after the tour, I confirmed it. There's something strange in the house. No, they don't have ghosts or spirits, and that's the strangest thing of all!

A house without a ghost or two in my experience is strange!

Plus once I crossed the threshold a while ago, something stirred inside me and Slayer flashed me a warning.

[Warning. You have crossed a barrier.]

I decided that it must've been that.

"What do you mean?"

"This place has a barrier and I can't find or sense a single ghost or spirit."

"Of course you won't find them. The people living here are either exorcists or hunters. They're the natural enemies of the supernatural while being involved in the supernatural themselves. And the barrier is a security detail to keep out unwanted ghosts, spirits and trespassers."

Eeehh… It sounds impressive.

"Without invitation from the residents, no human or non-human can cross the barrier. Tell Sylvia and Klint about that."

Speaking of…

"I'm worried about them."

"That's normal. I am worried too but I know the two will be able to adjust to it soon. As for you, I'm surprised you're being calm about all this."

Well, it's not like I can gain anything by throwing a tantrum about it.

"True."

"Did I say that out loud?"

"Yep."

"So? What of the other residents?"

She said there were four other residents aside from her. I'm curious as to what kind if people are living in the mansion.

"You'll meet them later. Right now, they're either out on a job or at school."

School. I haven't attended one ever since I became April Frost.

Can I even attend one?

"Speaking of school. I will have all three of you enroll in White Lotus Academy."

Is she serious?

"If you're worried about your credentials, just leave it to me."

Why do I get the feeling that I should tell her off?

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