My mouth hanged open.
Eh?!
Lying there on the ground at the entrance of Kuroki Village were four men, that had been beaten black and blue, gagged, and tied up with ropes, and their assailant was none other than a cute girl, who was standing with one foot rested onto one of the unanimated burglar's back, holding a ball of crystal- the Hoshi-no-Tama- in her hand, proudly.
'Ryūto?'
Her eyes widened at him in surprise.
The latter was as awe-struck as Ameonna, Yosunori and I.
'What are you doing here?'
'Your- Your brother told me that you were pursuing a group of thieves who have stolen your Hoshi-no-Tama. But I see that you didn't need any help.'
He made an awkward face as he eyed the four men lying face down in the dirt.
'You're not easily panicked. Should I suppose that you have feelings for me?' she asked him, cockily, and he flushed bright red, groaning, 'Oi!'
'It's so cute!'
He growled, 'Don't tell me that!'
'TOO CUTE!' Ameonna and I exclaimed together, all excitedly, and unable to resist it, we ran up to the kitsune girl to touch her ears.
She had the appearance of a twenty-years-old human girl, with the exception of the two fox ears that stood out on her heads, and a fox tail coming out of her back. Her hair was of an unusual color, being of an ocher; her skin, creamy-white.
'You find me… cute?' she asked us, her expression stunned, and we nodded, fervently.
Having handed the burglars to the authorities, we headed back to Toda all together.
'Say, Retsu, why were you so surprised that we found you cute?' Ameonna asked our new friend.
'You've never seen a kitsune, have you?' she told us in a murmur, lowering her eyes. 'Although kitsune can take human appearance at will, half-kitsune cannot. My brother and I are half-human half-kitsune, born out of a human mother and a kitsune father. Unless we hide our ears and tail with clothing, we are condemned to stay in this form in front of everyone's eyes, and since we are hybrids and considered as the fruit of a union that goes against nature, we are treated as pariahs and thus, ostracized. Even if I respect my origins, I've always felt a bit ashamed of my appearance.'
She looked up at us then and giving us a smile, she said, 'But now, I feel a lot better.'
We smiled back at her.
'We're so glad.'
***
The day was about to come to an end when we arrived back in Toda.
Ryūto Takamura's rowing boat was waiting for Retsu and him. We bid them farewell, with the wish to see Retsu again, before we said goodbye to Yosunori.
'We had a good day, ne?' exhaled Ameonna as we begun to take a small stroll by the length of the river.
'Yes,' I replied, cheerily.
Looking up, my eyes suddenly fell onto the person standing a few feet away ahead of us, facing us.
'Tsunan...' I said in surprise, coming to a halt.
'I found you thanks to the GPS system on your phone,' he told me, with a small gesture of his cellphone, closing the distance between us.
I locked gaze with him.
I left the GPS on my phone activated all the time.
'Kuroki Village isn't very safe. It is reputed for being the hide-out of all kind of rabbles. I was anxious about you during the whole day.'
Against human beings, I was completely powerless.
'Thank you for your concern,' I murmured with a blush, before I remembered that I wasn't alone. 'Oh, I present you Ameonna,' I told him, turning to face the latter. 'And Ameonna, this is Tsunan Hitachiin.'
'It's nice to meet you,' the female spirit said to him. 'Shun and Natsuhiko have told me a lot about you.'
I blushed harder.
'All the pleasure is mine,' replied the doctor. 'How long are you going to stay in Toda?'
'Oh no!' she exclaimed in a panic. 'I was planning to leave tomorrow, but now that I think about it, I haven't even found a place to stay for the night yet! I should hurry up and find a good hotel, before it turns dark.'
'If you want, you can stay with us tonight. I'm sure that Shun would appreciate it!'
'Yes, I'd appreciate it a lot,' I told her, eagerly, before I asked Tsunan, sheepishly, 'But are you sure that it doesn't bother you?'
'Not at all. Your friends are the most welcome.'
I gave him a grateful smile, before I turned back to Ameonna, seeking her reply. It came in the positive.
'Thank you,' she told Tsunan with a bow, before she sent her arms around my neck, pulling me into an affectionate hug.
I realized that I never had the chance to cook that special dinner I had wanted to prepare sometimes ago.
Ameonna's stay was the ideal occasion.
Hatsu and Heihachi paid us a visit by diner time and we all dined together in good humor.
'Say, Shun, can I sleep in your bed with you for the night?' the female spirit asked me, lively, when we were done eating.
I stared at the latter in astonishment.
'Come on, it's gonna be fun! I've always wanted to have a sister, for us to share our beds and take our baths together…'
Hatsu and Heihachi had a nosebleed abruptly, and Tsunan's eyes narrowed at them.
'Ah, two beautiful girls sleeping in the same bed just next to your bedroom… Do you know that you're very lucky, Tsunan?' said Hatsu with a large sigh and I flushed up in embarrassment.
'Do you know that you've really got a perverted mind?' the latter muttered at him with a stern look.
Turning to Ameonna, I replied, shyly, 'Uh, well, okay!'
***
Sometimes later...
'Is this the first time that you're sharing your bed with someone, Shun?' Ameonna asked me, as we were lying into bed together.
'No. The second,' I replied, blushing a little as I remembered that night when Tsunan and I had shared the same bed.
'Let me guess! It was the doctor with the dashing good looks?' she said, teasingly.
I pulled the quilt over my face as I flushed tomato red and she chuckled.
***
Ameonna left shortly after breakfast the next morning.
She was walking down the streets when she heard a someone call after her. Turning around, the young female spirit's eyes fell onto Yosunori Shimazaki whom she had met and had a long conversation with on the previous day.
'Oh, hello, Yosunori!' she exclaimed, cheerfully, and taking off her hat, she bowed her greetings to him.
He bowed back at her, quite nervously.
'You're leaving already?' he asked her, in a grim tone.
'Yes.'
Raking his hand through his hair, the dark-haired male averted his eyes, murmuring, 'Well, and I who hoped to see you again!'
She noticed the flush of color adorning his cheeks at that moment and her eyes widened at him, a blush appearing her cheeks too.
***
In the afternoon…
'Really? She's a rain woman?' exclaimed Gakkuri, vigorously, as I walked her home after school.
'Yes!' I replied, cheerily. 'I wished she had stayed longer in Toda such that I could present her to you!'
Yama-san was waiting for us at the front gate of the house when we reached and Gakkuri ran up to her, embracing her.
'Did you have a good day, Gakkuri?' she asked the kid, affectionately, and looking up into her eyes, the latter nodded, smiling broadly.
I gazed at the two for a moment, before Yama-san asked me if I wanted to come in. Since it was starting to be late, I refused politely and began to head back home.
I was making my way through Shiratori neighborhood when, out of the blue, I heard a voice in my ears, whispering my name.
My heart skipped a beat.
I jerked to a stop, my blood running cold.
Tadashi!
I reached up automatically when I felt something wet land onto my cheek, startling me.
My eyes went wide with horror at the red liquid that coated my fingers.
'Is this… blood?' I breathed, a shrill running down my spine, my skin creeping.
Breaking into hysterical panic, I began to ran like the wind and almost got hit by a motorcycle as I jumped in the middle of the main road.
My muscles locked into place and I stared frantically into the eyes of the rider who had braked in the nick of time. I realized that this person was none other than Shuda Yagari, as he took his helmet off.
Past the first instant of shock, he snapped at me, 'Are you suicidal or what?!'
I took a glance into the direction I had come from, searching Tadashi of the eyes without finding him, before I stared at the spiky-haired young man again, stammering, 'So-Sorry.'
His frown deepened. 'Are you alright?'
I followed his eyes onto the small street I had made eruption from and my hand tightened around my cellphone, more specifically the Omamori attached to it. When my eyes returned onto Shuda, I found him watching me with a strange look that was a mixture of bewilderment and anxiety.
'I- I need to call Tsunan,' I said, my voice shaking. 'I'm sorry, again.'
I moved away, my legs feeling weak under me. My hands were trembling as I handled my phone. Tsunan picked up his phone at the first rang itself.
'Shun?'
'Tsunan, can you- can you come to fetch me immediately?'
'Where are you?' he asked, sounding alarmed. He didn't need an explanation to understand what was wrong.
I informed him of my exact location and he told me that he was coming, after which, I hung up.
'Tsunan is coming to fetch you?'
I jumped up at the sound of Shuda's voice and flung around to face him, surprised that he hadn't left yet.
I couldn't find my voice anymore so, I simply nodded.
'You don't look fine. I'm going to stay with you until he arrives!' he declared, to my astonishment.
I gave him another nod and we took seat at one of the public benches on the sidewalk. I kept my eyes down, feeling so jumpy, that I feared I was going to have a major attack of cataplexy anytime soon. I could feel Shuda's stare onto me all the while we sat in silence.
'I- I see that you have taken out the bike again,' I whispered, brushing the cold sweat off my forehead, trying to put on a good face.
He took a glance towards his bike, before he replied, 'Uh, yeah!'
Tsunan arrived the next minute.
'Shun!' he called, as he stepped out of his car and began to hurry towards me.
Jerking to my feet, I met him half-way, taking a grip on his shirt fearfully.
'Are you hurt?' he asked, urgently.
'No,' I replied, coarsely, shaking my head.
He took a quick glance around us, before his eyes settled onto Shuda who had gotten to his feet too.
'Well, now that you're here, I think that I'll leave the two of you!' the younger male said to Tsunan with an intrigued look on his face and he left.
'Come!' the doctor told me, ushering me to his car.
***
Sitting himself by the river in Kuribayashi, Shuda Yagari cupped his chin, unable to think of anything else other than the incident with Shun Shutsuki a short while ago.
The red-haired girl had jumped in the middle of the road, looking as if, she was being pursued by the devil himself.
What had terrified her so much?
And Tsunan. Shuda thought about the protective stance Tsunan had taken.
Shuda was absolutely sure about something. Shun Shutsuki had a secret. He could sense it from kilometers away when somebody was hiding something.
'Yo, Shuda!' called Shirane, who came across of him at that moment.
The redheaded boy was accompanied by Ayame.
'You seem to be lost in your thoughts,' the latter said, plumping himself down on the grass next to the dark-haired male. 'What's up, man?'
Shuda was surprised by their cordiality. He had never been of the talkative type and after Yasu's demise, he had always kept a certain distance between the other members of the organization and him.
But then, he realized that he shouldn't be surprised.
At that precise moment, Shuda began to see what he hadn't been able to see- or rather, what he had refused himself to see- during the past years: the others' unrelenting effort to get under his shell.
Today, as he was beginning to open up to the people around him, he found himself being welcomed with open arms and he felt very grateful for that.
'It's Shun Shutsuki!' he replied and began telling them about what just happened.
'You say that you had the impression that she was being pursued and she looked terrorized?' Shirane asked him when he was done and they saw the redhead's expression change.
'Is there something that you know and you're not telling us?' asked Shuda, suspiciously.
The red-haired boy stared at Ayame and him for a moment, wondering if he should tell them about what he had witnessed the day Shun had been kidnapped.
'Shirane?' pressed the blond male.
Taking a deep breath, he began to tell them everything that he had seen and his unsuccessful attempts to get Shun Shutsuki, Master Kagami and Tsunan to give him the answers to his questions.
When Shirane was done telling them about it, a long silence fell between them.
No one spoke, each of them lost in their chaotic thoughts.
***
In the evening…
'I'm sorry about earlier,' I said to Tsunan, sheepishly, as I entered the dining room, drying my wet hair with a towel.
He gave me a questioning look and I moved up to where he was sitting at the low table and sat down close to him, looking at him in the face.
'It was a wrong alert. I've alarmed you for nothing.'
'Don't apologize! I'm just glad that you're fine!'
This brought a smile on my lips.
I remembered something, suddenly.
Tugging at his sleeve, I told him, 'Come with me!'
He followed me into the kitchen and I showed him the home-made chocolates I had prepared.
Tomorrow wasn't any ordinary day in Toda. It was known as the Chocolate Day, which brought people together to celebrate and enjoy chocolates.
'It's Yama-san who gave me the recipe.'
They were shaped in small balls and I had put tiny bits of biscuit in them.
'Will you please taste one and tell me how you like it?'
Picking up one of the chocolate balls, I brought it to his mouth. He parted his lips, allowing me to put it into his mouth.
'Is it sweet enough?' I asked with anticipation as he tasted it.
'Yes. It's perfect. Can I have another one?'
I nodded, happily.
'Please serve yourself! I'll prepare other ones for tomorrow.'
Thank you for reading!