Introducing Kissuragi

When you have a hobby as cringey as mine, the best thing to do is to keep it to yourself. From a young age, I was always known as the quiet girl, sifting through the library in search of what I referred to as "Grimoires," but really they were just analytical studies of yokai and demons. My "Grimoires" consisted of children's witchcraft manuals, volumes of Nura and Natsume, and mass quantities of sewing books to help me create my own robes.

My "Grimoires" brought me so much excitement and joy, that every single day after school, I would rush home to practice summoning yokai. With my youthful imagination and enthusiasm, I would chant ancient scriptures in hopes of bringing forth physical proof that such creatures truly existed. My parents became increasingly worried the further I aged, as when I reached middle school, I started dressing more gothic than the other kids. What my father referred to as a "Chunibyou Phase," I referred to as a lifestyle. Thank goodness for my mother's support, or I would have tried to off myself from the sheer embarrassment alone. Not that I ever really would, but looking back on it, I could have saved myself the humiliation of my high school years.

A fully developed body, a cute face that had the ability to swoon hundreds, and a quiet aura that attracted both male and female students. It's true, I was seriously beautiful. Bragging about it wouldn't do much nowadays, but I had quite the harem laid out for me if I so desired. To reiterate, I certainly wouldn't ever choose the harem route, but I could have. The only factor driving away my chances at getting a boyfriend or girlfriend was simply that I had a creepy hobby. As shameful as it is to admit to being a virgin who hasn't even had her first kiss at age twenty-three, I sometimes look back on those days with great fondness. Would I have been married by now if I had just dropped the whole summoner crap? Would I have children and a loving spouse to support me in my darkest days? It's trivial to think such things. For now, I'll enjoy this goblet of red wine as I chant a spell from my latest "Grimoire."

Oh, did I fail to mention that I'm still active with my hobbies?

* * *

"Anshu Taberia Polifuse! Neko Kammon Jee Jitsure! Shamaro Polifuse Yami Tokun! Uh... N-Nekomata?"
I shouted in confusion, my tired arms drooping low as the wine took effect.

I gazed down at my Yu-Gi-Oh cards in the center of a poorly sketched calligraphy portrait of a feline.

"This is just gibberish. When will I ever learn not to trust these books that I find online?"
I sighed heavily, looking down at the paperback "Grimoire" that cost me my entire grocery fund for the next week.

Another failed attempt, this time leaving me completely broke and unsatisfied. Looking at the goblet of wine in my hand, I took a long, drawn-out sip as the sourness soothed my throat.

When will I just give it up? I have responsibilities now; I can't afford to keep asking Dad for rent money. Sooner or later, he's going to catch on.

I refilled my goblet to the brim, chugging down half in just a single gulp. I screamed at the top of my lungs,
"Why can't I summon a yokai?! Nekomata, I know you're toying with me! Come out here and show me your necromancy!"

As if the demons of the underworld were toying with me, the candles surrounding my portrait simultaneously burned out, leaving only a whirl of smoke. Beams of light brighter than the sun in the sky ripped through the carpeted floors of my living room, dancing around me as fractals of silver energy invaded my vision. Unable to shriek, I gazed forth at the silhouette rising from beneath the floors.

This is some strong wine.

"Meow~"
A cute mewl pierced the air as the light began to fade. Sitting before me, clad in a gorgeous blue yukata, a petite girl with silver hair and cat ears stretched her tired limbs to the point of tremble. Her cat-shaped lips quivered as she yawned, her fluffy tail swishing rapidly as those piercing yellow eyes slowly fluttered open. Between the seal of her delicate lips were two fangs on either side, a low growl escaping her throat as her body sat arched.

"Nya~ To whom do I owe the pleasure of killing on this fine evening? It seems you humans never learn to stop summoning me."
She spoke in a high-pitched groan, her fangs now on full display as her mouth stayed open.

"No... freaking way,"
I muttered, guzzling the rest of my wine before reaching out to stroke her ears.

"Nya?!"
She whimpered, her soft, fluffy ears now flattening as my nails kneaded them.

"S-so fuzzy!"
I exclaimed, my eyes widening at the sight of her unamused grimace.

"Halt your movements, human! That doesn't feel good in the slightest! I should bite your hand off and feast on it for breakfast!"
The cat girl hissed but found herself leaning desperately into my scratches.

"This is the best dream ever! I finally get to meet a yokai! I don't care if it's just a dream; this is wicked!"
My hands began to scratch even harder, watching as a string of drool dripped down her chin.

"Meow~ that feels... satisfactory. Much appreciated, indeed!"
The cat girl purred, now completely dropping the tsundere act as my hands worked their magic.

"What are you? The Nekomata I summoned before I passed out?"
I retracted my hands from her ears, watching the immediate pout form on her face.

She swiped her hand outward, her claw latching deep into the flesh of my hand. I let out a startled yelp, pulling back as a red fluid darker than my wine began to drip onto the floor.

"Who gave you permission to stop?! You're the one who summoned me, so the least you can do is pet me before I kill you!"
She sneered at me.

That really hurt! There's so much blood on my wrist. There's no way dreams can produce this much physical pain, which means that this is real! I'm seriously about to be killed by the very yokai that I summoned!

Amidst a mix of fear and excitement, I froze in place as I gazed ahead at the cat girl.

If she's a real Nekomata, she can easily end my life if I try to run. If this is some vivid dream, I can just pray that I wake up soon.

"Cat got your tongue, human? Nya~ that's cute. It is as you say; I'm Nekomata. This is no dream; I assure you I'm as real as they come."
The Nekomata opened her palm wide, a small ball of fire igniting from within.

"Wait, Nekomata-sama! Before you kill me, I just want to say what a huge fan I am!"
I screamed, my eyes beaming with excitement as I gazed at my decades worth of hard work finally paying off.

"An admirer? I'm flattered. What is it you wish to ask me before I eat you for lunch, human?"
She smirked, standing up at the size of just a teenage girl.

I let out an audible gulp, my own fear shattering as happiness took hold. I stood up before her, practically oozing radiant giddiness as I rambled,
"History says that you can control the abilities of fire as well as necromancy! How much of that is true? What about the famous story of pretending to be a samurai's cat only to deceive and eat him?! What about when you disguised yourself as that hunter's mother?! Or when you split your tail in two in order to gain powers?!"

Overwhelmed by my influx of rumors, the Nekomata took an almost frightened step backward.
"You really did your research, human. Meow~ it's as you say; most of those are true, though you're mixing up some of the accuracy."
A faint blush spread across her cheeks.

"Eek! So it's true! This is a wonderful day! Please, kill me as you wish, Nekomata-sama!"
I dropped to my knees, smiling delightfully as I prepared to sacrifice myself to one of my beloved yokai.

This is it! My purpose in life has finally been fulfilled! Praise yokai! Praise Nekomata-sama for so kindly taking my life!

"My name is not Nekomata-sama; it's Kissuragi. Not only that, but don't tell me what to do! I can kill you whenever I please, so maybe if you praise me a bit more, I'll fulfill your wish."
She turned her head to the side, her cheek puffed slightly in irritation.

So cute! A tsundere cat girl!

"Kissuragi-sama! Your tail is so fluffy! Not only that, but your ears are soft and adorable! Those beautiful cat-shaped lips make me want to worship you!"
I squealed, squirming side to side as I admired her features.

"I meant my accomplishments, not my appearance! Meow!"
Kissuragi stomped her foot, her cheeks glowing an even brighter shade of pink.
"What's this nonsense about worshipping?! I'm a fearsome yokai, not a cute kitten!"

"Oh, I need to take a picture! Kissuragi-sama, please do a peace sign while I capture this moment in history!"
I yanked my phone from my skirt pocket, lining the camera up to her doll-like face with trembling hands.

"You wish to take a picture, do you? I shall grant you this final request. Very well, where is your camera, human?"
Kissuragi seemed almost excited as she held a peace sign up, almost too willingly.

"Right here in my hand... It's just a smartphone."
I smiled a bit nervously, snapping a picture of her in just a quick second.

Her eyes widened, and she quickly dropped her peace sign. Her eyes showed visible skepticism as she inched closer, her nostrils flaring at the sight of the small device in my hands.
"A... smartphone? I asked where your camera is, human."
Her head tilted to the side.

"Hm? It's right here, in my hand."
I tilted my head alongside hers, watching as she poked at my phone with her claw.

"You mean to tell me this tiny object just took a photograph of me? Nya-ha-ha! That's truly an absurd statement! Where is the photograph?"

"Kissuragi-sama? Just how long has it been since you've been to the human realm?"
I felt my own eyebrows furrow as Kissuragi stopped laughing.

"I believe it's only been a few years. This is the nineteenth century, is it not?"
Kissuragi spoke confidently, flaunting her hair as she puffed her small chest forward.

"N-no... this is the twenty-first century. Kissuragi-sama, you've been asleep for nearly two hundred years?!"
My eyes bulged out of my head, unable to understand how a yokai had such a poor grip on the importance of time.

Kissuragi shrugged, casually licking her tail as she plopped onto my bed, her attitude indifferent.
"Only two hundred? Meow~ it felt like so much less. That can hardly be considered a nap."

"A nap?! But there's so much more to the world than two hundred years ago! You haven't seen smartphones, cars, airplanes, virtual reality! Kissuragi-sama, have you ever had Takoyaki?!"
I stormed over to her, shouting in her ear from a close proximity.

"Shut up! I can hear you just fine. What the hell is Takoyaki?"
Kissuragi snarled, narrowing her eyes as she licked her fluffy silver tail.

"That's it! I'm not letting you kill me until you've tasted Takoyaki! There's so much to explore in modern Japan! Promise me that you'll let me take you to Osaka!"
I grabbed her tail firmly, yanking at it to halt her grooming.

"Ouch! Stop, stop! My tail is sensitive, Nya~"
Kissuragi groaned, hugging her tail closely to her chest after my assault.

"Do we have a deal? You can't kill me until you've tasted fresh Takoyaki in Osaka! I know cats love seafood!"
I extended my hand down to her, my eyes gleaming with a fierce determination to show this sheltered yokai what Japan truly has to offer.

"Seafood, you say? Meow~ now you've got my interest piqued, human. Very well, we will form a pact. Once I've tasted this mysterious Takoyaki, I can kill you for awakening me."
Kissuragi snapped her fingers, and a beam of silver light erupted from my lower abdomen.

I let out a small yelp, lifting my robes to see a glowing, intricate pattern branded into my stomach. The same thing happened to Kissuragi.

"What's this? My tummy feels all warm."
I gently rubbed myself, watching as the pattern etched deeper into my flesh.

"This is a familiar pact. From this point on, you are my master until our Takoyaki deal has been fulfilled. Truth be told, I just wanted a human to have to take care of my basic needs until then. Consider it payback for waking me from my nap. I require head rubs, three meals a day, and free time to hunt prey."
Kissuragi smirked, returning to groom her delicate tail.

"Um... Kissuragi-sama. We humans don't hunt for prey like we used to. Food is readily available just about anywhere."
I chuckled nervously.

Head rubs are fine, and so is feeding her, but I can't have her running around slaughtering innocent people or animals.

"Readily available? You humans sure have gotten lazy. Nya~ not that it matters. I'll have to find a new way to sharpen my claws. Very well, let us head to Osaka at once!"
Kissuragi leapt off my bed, her cat like agility making me gasp in amazement.

"It would take quite some time to get to Osaka from here. Why don't I show you around a bit? You'll be surprised by how much Tokyo has changed since then. Not to mention, I'm sure you're very hungry after your nap. McDonald's should fill you right up."
I giggled, changing into my work clothes, my best clothes, before leading Kissuragi out of my apartment.

"Makku... Donar? Huh?"
Kissuragi sighed, trusting me enough to guide her to the place where she could indulge in some much needed grub.

Our journey to Osaka begins.