Koutetsu lay across his bed fast asleep after the day he had before. He spent the whole day image training and playing with Tsurara trying to get a feel of her strength and weakness. More than she was a newborn, he needed to give her attention at this stage for now. As he slept on his bed, he felt a sensation touch his face. The sensation was Tsurara licking his cheeks waking him up early. Koutetsu started to wake up, he giggled a bit as Tsurara kept licking till he got up from his rest.
"Ok, ok, I'm up, I'm up." He said laughing. Tsurara stopped to look at him with her cute little eyes. Koutetsu started rubbing his fingers through her head and fur to pet her once more, he knew that's what the eye look was leading to.
"Well then I'm up now, I'll make your breakfast for you and we can go for a run afterward and then shopping for yourself. C'mon, let's go get our food." Koutetsu picked up Tsurara placing her in his arms like a baby, ironically it was funny since she was a baby in a way. Koutetsu started making their food while Tsurara was napping on the makeshift bed he put together for her to have, he promised to buy her a real bed after their run at the store so she wouldn't sleep on some pillows and towels.
He was enjoying this scene at the moment of her being there with him, his house wasn't as empty as it was before, and with Mana coming he was feeling better about it.
Even with the small moment of happiness, he was having, he still was thinking of Rina from earlier. He wanted to hear if she was ok, even if it was a small text just to let him know how she was doing. Tsurara walked up to his leg from her bed, she purred her tiny head on it trying to cheer him up as best as she could.
"Yeah, I'll try calling again." He used his foot to pet her while his hands were busy with the food. Koutetsu finished making her a tiny steak with a bowl of milk, he wasn't sure what to feed her properly till he figured out how to raise a being like her.
Koutetsu called Rina's number, and it rang till it went to voicemail, he tried again and the same thing happened once more. He wasn't going to stop, he wanted to hear her voice once more, to see if she was safe. At least she was not as broken as she believed her to be.
Rina was sitting in a dark hallway alone away from everyone inside the building. She was quiet, motionless, trying to be a perfect shadow not making a move till ordered too. As she sat, she saw her phone going off again giving the notification that Koutetsu was calling her. She wanted to answer the call, her fingers twitching at the idea of answering it.
She was approached by Sen's caretaker, who signaled her it was time to go to work, and her silence would be done now. Rina declined the call once she got the signal, she typed as fast as she could to Koutetsu in a fast text that she was busy with a side job and that she'd call when she was free. Of course, it was a lie but it was something she needed to do to diffuse the situation. Rina turned the phone off once the message was delivered, she stood up putting on a black spider mask as she walked away with Sen's caretaker.
Koutetsu received the text she sent him. He was relieved she answered but still worried for her. The text sounded rushed, and no sign of feeling in it, like it was auto-reply preset to send anything when she was busy. At least that was how he perceived it from his old experiences.
Tsurara could see the look on his face, she gave him the sad cat-eye look showing her own worry as well. Koutetsu tried to be brave for her, he didn't want his problems to be hers, and it wouldn't be right to do that to a child.
"Ok, you win I won't look so gloomy." Tsurara meowed happy to see him not look so down, at least putting up the face that he wasn't. Koutetsu and Tsurara had walked their way to a pet store after their breakfast. He decided to forget the run for the day to focus on her and her needs, the walk also helping to clear his head after events that happened in a short amount of time.
Tsurara was riding on his shoulders during the walk, everyone who saw the sight of her being on top of Koutetsu's shoulder had greatly began fawning over it. The girls thought it was the cutest thing to them, Tsurara would look their way waving her paw just to make their faces melt with cuteness overload. Koutetsu could see she had a little devious side to her, at least it was funny to him that she had her own personality.
'Typical reaction. See a pretty chibi-like animal and they go nuts over it. Not that I can complain I was like that too with figurines in my old life, especially around the Sailor Moon figures and Date A Live ones. Now seeing it here, I feel like such a fool about it, well at least I wasn't a total otaku when it came to chibi ones of Saiyuki, that would have been more disturbing.'
They made their way to the store, and the worker there fell for Tsurara as well just as expected. Koutetsu looked exhausted from the attention they were getting, he should have known this would happen again without fail. He asked her for some help in getting items for Tsurara, unfortunately for him since Tsurara wasn't an ordinary pet she didn't like most of the stuff the worker offered. She was an animal born from God's parents, normal household items would do nothing to make her feel comfortable like a house cat would feel.
Koutetsu tried to look on his own when that failed, he wasn't exactly sure what he was getting that would make Tsurara approve. She said no to the beds on sale and cleaning products, even the books on how to raise a pet were useless considering she was a snow leopard, a Divine Animal at that.
'Argh, this is going nowhere. Even with the stuff I looked up online none of this matters if it's not natural for her. What did I pick this form for her if it was going to be this big a pain? No, I can't be like that. She was already born this way, to begin with. I can't be a jerk and blame her for me not knowing what I'm doing, that's not fair to her at all. And this is the only store within my budget, the ones specifically for this type of situation are in the elite stores I couldn't afford in ten years.'
"Oh, hey Hayashi-Kun is that you." Koutetsu recognized that voice, it was Natsume about a few feet from him, she was at the store as well shopping for the birds her family owned at their shrine. She skipped over to him to say hi, again like the others once she saw Tsurara Natsune couldn't resist petting her in excitement.
"She's so cute! What is she?"
"She's a divine animal apparently like Tsukikage is. Her name's Tsurara." He answered in response.
Natsume melted at the sight, she rubbed her little ears making Tsurara purr. Tsurara jumped off Koutetsu's shoulders into Natsume's arms enjoying the attention she was getting.
'Well, at least she's friendly. Funny she didn't inherit Itsuki's personality. She would have bit Natsume for talking to me like Tsukikage does every time a girl talks to me in front of Itsuki.'
Koutetsu envisioned Itsuki, having a dark aura surrounding her with blank eyes and an evil smile. He gasped, shaking his head to forget that image in his head.
"She's too adorable. Are you here to buy her stuff for your home?"
"I am, but the problem is I have no idea what to get her. She rejects most of the things here. I didn't think she would hate normal items a common pet would love, and stuff I looked up says it's in one of those stores that you would have to spend 1438250 Yen(10,000)."
"Well, you said she's a divine animal. If you want to get her anything you have to go to that section over there. They have items made from magic fibers and other materials specifically for animals like her including the actual books to read on how to take care of them. They may not be as fancy as the stuff you looked up but if you're on a budget that will do for now at least." Natsume explained giving Koutetsu hope after his annoyance in failing to find proper items.
Koutetsu looked in the direction she talked about. Natsume led him to the aisle, and she helped pick the best items for Tsurara. Natsume was surprisingly helpful, she wasn't doing her usual flirty routine, she was being nice to Koutetsu in a normal way that made him see her in a new light. Of course, he did praise her earlier when it came to being to the girls at school, so it was a nice change to see her do the same to him without trying to get him to flirt back.
Koutetsu was feeling relieved thanks to her, Tsurara didn't reject any of the beddings, soaps, or even a grooming brush. He did feel agitated that he had to use the black card for her cause of the high prices and being out of his budget, he promised it was only for emergencies or for rent he couldn't afford. Granted Itsuki did tell him it was good for ten years minimum depending on expenses, it still felt like a cop-out for him to use though.
'I better pick up extra shifts at work if I'm to raise this little one, feels like I'm paying for my firstborn child in a way. Maybe this will be good practice if I ever decide to have a kid in the future. Actually haven't thought about that before. Guess I'm growing up in a way.'
Natsume walked outside with Koutetsu wanting to conversate more with him after his purchases were done. He didn't mind, she helped him big time with the shopping, and he owed her that much to have a little bit more time to talk.
"Thanks, Kurenai, I needed the help."
"You're welcome. Anything for this little one here." Natsume petted Tsurara's head again playfully. She was enjoying the little leopard's cuteness greatly. Koutetsu could see the innocence in her. It was a wonder why he gave her so much hell about her flirty personality, he knew why, but still, it made him think why didn't he see past that before.
Natsume noticed him staring at her, at first she did a small blush from the looks he gave. The first he ever gave her, he stopped after that because he didn't want her to get the wrong impression.
"Something on your mind?" She asked.
"Hmm, oh it's nothing. It's just you're really different sometimes. I told Rina how nice you are to the girls, even if you tease Itsuki a lot. Just for once you're not hitting on me. It's kinda of a change of pace."
Natsume felt like he was giving a passive insult in that compliment. Koutetsu felt bad about what he said, he was honest but he felt like he could have chosen his words better.
"I'm sorry that was out of line." He said in apology.
"Hmm, it's ok. You're right though. I do mess with you a lot so it's understandable that you would assume that. Do you know why I do that to you and other boys, I mean if you want to hear my sorry excuse that is?"
Looking to the horizon, she was reminiscing about her childhood, and how it shaped her personality.
"When I was a kid, I lived in a strict household. My family is from a great line of exorcists, they battle Ghasts, demons, you name it. They view certain aspects of life as a distraction like makeup, fashion, and even dating outside of courting a spouse. Purity is important to them so things of a desirable nature aren't allowed. They train every day and do everything to maintain their spiritual connections, when we're old enough to practice a sutra they pound it into our heads till we can recite two entire scriptures on the spot. At times it was taxing for me cause I wasn't really into it as much as my other family members. Not that I couldn't do it, surprisingly I was considered a prodigy it was easy for me, just I didn't like feeling like a drone in a hive."
Koutetsu could feel how Natsume must have been under such pressure back then. He never really asked about her home or family much, a few conversations here and there. But he never delved deeper because he was keeping his distance to respect Itsuki. It was a moment he felt like she was being vulnerable to him like she was comfortable talking about her life with no problem.
Natsume looked at him, she waved her hands frantically trying to show she was ok, not letting him think she was bashing her family.
"Don't get me wrong. I love my family. They're amazing, and I was never treated badly by them. It's just, that I wanted to be free to express myself and find my own path. When I started growing up and my body did too, I'll admit I was a little uneasy with the stares from girls, I grew up with them my whole life, it was painful because it grew old and many were jealous of me because I had the good looks they wanted. Personally, I'd rather get rid of those sometimes cause they way a ton for my back"
Natsume started bouncing her chest with her hands to emphasize her point, Koutetsu tried to fight off a nosebleed at the sight so as not to ruin the moment of her being honest.
"But around boys, it was different, I never saw them before till a few years ago and only honestly it was a change to my world. I was able to do new things and be free finally to be comfortable with myself. I know I go overboard sometimes, and I'm sorry for all the times that made you uncomfortable, it's just now that I can be myself I don't want to stop. And I don't want to stop going after the things I like. I just think it's better to be yourself and live with it than confide your real feelings and be miserable later in life with it."
He wouldn't say it out loud, but Natsume looked cool to him at that moment. She was a lot more honest with her identity than he said to Rina about her. Tsurara looked up at him, she gave eyes telling him to do something nice for her for everything she did and how honest she was.
"Well, I should get home soon, don't want my parents to worry for me. What are you going to do?"
"I'm going to get this little one set up. Promised I make her a late birthday cake."
Natsume's eyes widened, she heard birthday and knew it couldn't have meant Tsurara. So to her, it must have meant Koutetsu.
"Wait is it your birthday today?" She asked with her sparkling at him.
"No, it was yesterday actually. But it's fine I haven't done anything special with it since my Primary Mother passed away. I'm ok just being by myself for a bit."
Natsume felt bad, he shouldn't have to get used to that. She wanted to do something nice, not cause she had an angle but because she wanted to be a friend and help him.
"Unacceptable. I'm making you a party asap." She spoke with a brimming determination in her tone.
"No no, you don't have to do that. It's ok"
"Nope, I'm going to do it and that's that. Get ready, you'll see the genius of Kurenai Natsume at work. I'll text you the details later." Koutetsu couldn't win this one. He wasn't annoyed really, in fact deep down, he was grateful.
"Ok, you win. Do what you need to do."
Natsume was excited, she couldn't wait to set up the party.
"See you soon Hayashi." Natsume was about to head out but Koutetsu stopped her for a minute to give her a late Christmas gift in his own way, one she had been wanting for a while. At least an appreciative gesture for what she was doing for him.
"See you soon…..Natsume." He said finally calling her by her given name.
Natsume saw his honest response. She rubbed her eyes as she was happy he finally called her on a first-name basis.
"See ya soon, Koutetsu." Natsume winked as she took off. Koutetsu felt like maybe he was getting set up in a way. But he didn't care, he earned a little bit of fun with hell he'd been through the last couple of days.
"C'mon Tsurara, let's go home."