Chapter 6 – Echoes Between Us

Bang, Bang, Bang!!!

Crash....

Slaaam!

Haruki jumped at the sound of what he thought to be an earthquake or possibly someone breaking in to the house. Looking around he noticed that he must have fallen asleep on the couch. Last he remembered he had put Rena into bed and went down stairs then—

“Good morning Haruki!”

“Rena, what is going on...? What is making so much noise?”

The grin on her face stretched ear to ear as she stood in the kitchen with a proud look. Everything was a giant mess: all the cupboards were opened, there was what appeared to be pancake mix splattered all over, and a smell of something burning was enough to be alarming.

“Nyaa~! I’m making breakfast!!”

“Since when did you learn how to make breakfast.”

“I snuck on your phone again before you woke up, and well I decided last night was kinda rough on both of us. Sooo.. I figured I would make us breakfast so you don’t have to!”

“We really need to talk about you going on my phone...”

Not used to living with anyone who looked through his phone, Haruki only hoped that she didn’t find anything that was too inappropriate... Even though he made sure for the most part that his phone had nothing weird, he was still a bit nervous.

“Hey, look at all the food I learned how to cook!”

Bringing him out of his anxious thoughts about what she was doing on his phone, Rena pointed towards the kitchen counter. Taking a quick look around, Haruki wasn’t sure what was going on could be called cooking. It looked more like an explosion went off. The kitchen appeared to be a battlefield of food particles and dishes.

It would have made more sense if someone actually broke in...

Getting off the couch, it felt like he injured his back from fighting the night prior. Trying to shrug it off, he made his way over to the kitchen table.

Turning to look at Rena who was standing there with crooked apron falling off her shoulder. She was covered in flour and bits of ingredients. He couldn’t help but think she was incredibly adorable. Excitedly shoving a plate in front of his face, Haruki had to stop for a second to realize what the dark object was.

“I think you killed the toast.”

“Nyaa~ but at least it’s crunchy!”

“Yah and super burnt...”

Rena didn’t seem to mind as this was all foreign to her. From what she could remember she never had to cook anything like this before, or cook at all.

“Ooooh!! Try this it’s called scrambled eggs!”

She abruptly shoved a plate in front of his face that actually did resemble eggs. Doing his best not to hesitate, he brought a bite to his mouth. A light fluffy texture filled his mouth with just the right hint of seasoning.

“Wow, this is actually really good. How did you make this?”

Rena gave him an empty stare while her tail whipped back and forth in the air.

“Hey... don’t sound so surprised. I can follow directions!”

While he was about to take another bite, an awful smokey smell caught his attention. Coming from the stove a large tower of black smoke was floating into the air. Haruki got up quickly and ran towards the burner and removed the pan.

“Nyaa~! Ooh no the cakes in the pan are ruined!!”

Turning the kitchen fan on and hurriedly opening the windows, Haruki was worried this might not be the last thing she messed up. Trying his best to laugh at the incident, he turned the burner down that was on max, and took over being head chef.

“Please sit down at the table princess, and let me handle the rest of breakfast.”

Reluntantly Rena sat down at the table with a defeated look on her face. She had hoped to make a perfect morning meal for Haruki since he put up with so much last night. Ruining everything but the eggs made Rena feel like she was a bit hopeless.

Haruki was busy attending to what was left of the breakfast. From he could tell she made the ingredients right for pancakes, but the burner was turned on to high. Adding a few extra things to the mix and then adding butter to the pan, he poured the mix into little cakes. He was so focused he didn’t notice Rena was pouting at the table.

“I’m sorry...”

“Hmmm, sorry for what?”

“I ruined the entire meal, it was supposed to be perfect.”

Rena looked like she was about to burst into tears as she sat at the table holding her tail. Haruki paused what he was doing and moved over to where she was sitting. Unexpectedly grabbing her hand, he led her back to the stove. Rena felt a bit shy as he stood next to her holding her hand.

“It’s okay, let me show you. First make sure you don’t turn it up to high, then just slowly pour it like this.”

Guiding her hand gently, they poured the batter into the pan making small round shapes. As he was helping her properly cook, Rena’s heart started to flutter. The more excited she started to get, the more energetic her tail started to sway behind her.

“Hey Rena?”

“Nyaa~!”

Startled from her daydream, her tail knocked the bowl of pancake batter off the counter and splashing onto the wall in front of them. Rena tried to grab her tail but having a mind of it’s own it swished back the other direction and hitting the bag of flour.

Poooooooof

A large white cloud covered them both, making them both appear as ghosts. Haruki turned the stove off and still for a moment. Looking next to him at Rena who was wide eyed, he couldn’t help but uncontrollably laugh. Rena not understanding what was so funny curiously looked up at him.

“Haruki, what is so funny...?”

“Hahahaha, you look like a strange ghost cat.”

“...Does that mean you’re not upset?”

“Come on ghost kitten, lets just sit down.”

Still covered in flour, Haruki served the finished pancakes onto plates and sat back down at the table next to Rena.

“We can work on learning how to make breakfast some other time.”

Suspiciously poking at the spongey looking food on the plate, Rena sniffed it before taking a bite.

“Do all humans eat things like this in the morning?”

“Is food different where you are from.”

Rena was a bit caught off guard from that question, she still didn’t like thinking about things she couldn’t remember

“Hmmm.... I don’t know, but it’s definitely not like this.”

Despite not having a large breakfast, they both enjoyed spending the time together. The breakfast disaster in some ways brought them closer together Haruki felt. Rena devoured most of the food on the table, but this was nothing out of the ordinary.

“Do you want to have the last one...?”

The way Rena sounded was more like asking permissions then genuinely offering for him to eat.

“Go ahead.”

Wasting no time, she devoured the last pancake on the plate. Feeling fully satisfied, she leaned back in her chair as if she was ready to take a nap.

“Nyaa~ that feels much better.”

“You certainly look like you have recovered from last night.”

Seriousness returned to Rena’s mood, as soon as he brought up the prior night. She had tried to forget about what happened and what it might mean. Rena knew that what had happened was important but she felt bad that she had to drag him through it.

“Haruki... I’m sorry about last night.”

“What do you mean?”

“What I mean is you shouldn’t have had to get hurt or feel like you have to get involved just to help me. I never intended for all this to happen...”

Haruki thought about what she said. It was never a question in his mind whether or not he should help her, it was just something he felt he should do. Never once did it occur to him that maybe she didn’t want to burden him with her own problems.

“Rena, I help you because I want to. It’s not a big problem.”

“...Why are you so nice to me?”

“Because it’s the right thing to do.”

“Okay...”

His answer seemed to satisfy her worries for the time being. Turning her head to look around the big mess she made in the kitchen, she couldn’t help but thinking she was still troublesome.

“I guess I should clean up the mess I made...”

“Ahhh we can do it later, right now we should clean ourselves and go into town.”

From the mention of going on an adventure, her regular overjoyed emotions returned. Jumping out of her chair, she slammed both hands on the table leaning forward.

“Nyaa~! Really were going to go out?”

“...Yeah, I think we need to get you your own phone so you can stop using mine.”

“OH THANK YOU HARUKI!!! I promise I will be good from now on.”

Rena ran at Haruki at top speed and squeezed him with both her arms tight around his body. Feeling her chest squish into his, made him feel a bit awkward, but he was glad she was feeling happy again.

“Okay, okay... but first you need to get cleaned up.”

“...Does that mean I have to go get soaked in the shower again?”

“It’s not that bad, just be quick.”

“Fine...”

Sometimes she is more like a cat than a human...

Part 2

Walking through the downtown market district, they both moved close to each other as they made their way across the brick-lined streets. Rena was all cleaned up and looking fresh while wearing her usual outfit. Her hair was done up with thin black ribbons making her cuter than usual. Tail stuffed awkwardly under her skirt, it was hard for her to not keep adjusting it.

Haruki tried not to stare at her but he was constantly losing that battle against his wandering thoughts. Catching him look at her skirt as her tied up tail was trying to break free, she grinned while adjusting it.

“You are lucky you don’t have to deal with one of these!”

Rubbing her behind from feeling itchy, Rena hated having her tail tied up underneath her skirt.

“Careful, we don’t want that coming out.”

“I bet you would like that wouldn’t you?”

“...even if I did, that’s not the point.”

Acting like he wasn’t feeling flustered by that comment, he pretended to look straight ahead while she pushed her shoulder into him. It was true that Haruki did love her tail, moving with a mind of it’s own it was her defining feature. Thinking about how it constantly twitched and danced around, made him wonder what it would be like to touch it, or if that would even be appropriate.

“Still thinking about my tail?”

“...Nope, just trying to find the right place to buy a phone.”

Rena kept trying to get closer to him the further they walked. Purposely touching hands or brushing up against him, she did every trick she knew. Hoping that he would make the first move and grab her hand, she had a clear mission.

Busier than usual, the town was bustling with energy as the towns-folk prepared for a special event. Food stalls were being set up, as well as many different market vendors. Red and gold banners were being hung all around while the smell of freshly baked goods rose to the scenses. Children were running back in forth between booths while wearing masks while the adults gossiped about the village event.

Looking around at all the lively people preparing for the upcoming celebration, Rena’s eyes lit up with curiosity.

“Haruki... what is going on, why is everyone decorating?”

“Oh I forgot to mention, there is a festival happening next weekend.”

Not fully telling the truth, Haruki did not forget about the festival. It had been on his mind for quite awhile. Thinking about how he could take Rena as if it was their first real date, he had been trying to figure out how to ask her.

“A festival...? What kind of festival... are we invited?”

She stopped walking and stepped out in front of him. Inquisitively glaring at him with her large eyes, it was hard for him to say anything but ‘yes’.

“We are invited, in fact it’s a special once a year event, and it’s about you.”

“Nyaa~ ? About me... How is it about me?”

“It’s called the Youen no Matsuri festival (festival of spirits) and the whole village is invited.”

“But why is it about me?”

“The festival is about celebrating the special connection between the Yokai spirits and humans. Celebrating a single night in the year when our two realms were said to join, and we could enjoy friendships with each other.”

Grabbing her hand and continuing to walk further into the market, Haruki pointed out the signs and colourful displays being set up.

“Humans and Yokai once held this celebration together under the stars. Where we further developed our relationship... but since those bonds are lost, we hold this festival in honour.”

Tightening her grip on his hand as her eyes widened, Rena think she understood what this meant, and why it was so important for her. Stepping in front of him again and this time grabbing both his hands, she leaned forward a bit closer than necessary. Causing him to get a bit nervous with how close she was.

“Haruki can we please go!?”

With how full of excitement she asked, it was making it hard for him to act calm and collected. He had every intention of taking her already, he just wanted to make sure he was asking with the right intentions. It occurred to him that if it was her idea in the first place, then he didn’t have to stress about asking her. This made him feel a lot more relaxed and nonchalant.

“If you really want to go, I guess we can go.”

“Really!? I can hardly wait”

“Just remember, even though you are technically a yokai, we can’t let anyone know that for real. You will have to pretend.”

A bit confused about what he meant by pretend, her excitement level slightly dipped.

“Nyaa~? Pretend... but how would I pretend to be something I already am?”

“That’s the easy part, everyone will already be dressed up as yokai and different spirits. It will not be hard to convince people you are wearing a costume.”

Thinking that she understood what he meant, her ears started to tremble under her hair. A mishevious smile grew on her face the more she thought about it.

“Sooo, I can just be myself without having to hide my ears and tail.”

“Exactly.”

Rena grabbed his hand once again and started to slightly bounce as she walked forward. Getting to be herself without hiding would be a breathe of fresh ever since she came. While she continued to walk, something caught her attention causing her to turn her head.

“What is that amazing smell....?”

Haruki felt her start to drift off in the location of where the scent was coming from, and pulled her back in.

“Thats just someone putting out fresh baking, don’t worry there will be lots of time for food later.”

“Wait! But Haruki...”

She pouted as he gave her a gentle tug and continued to pull her further into the market. More street shops and outdoor vendors started to appear on both sides as they kept walking. Just as they regained a steady pace again, Rena got distracted from something sparkly she saw out the corner of her eye.

“Hey, can I have one of those?”

Pointing a table set up with a bunch of bracelets and jewlery, Rena started to move closer. Eyeing up the shiny objects before her, she started to fill with excitement again.

She is no different than any other girl...

“You mean the bracelets?”

“Yes! Those things, can I have them?”

Trying to let her down gracefully, he did his best to look uninterested as he walked away.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

“What do you mean it’s not a good idea!?”

Turning back around when he could hear the frustration in her voice, Haruki was met with an upset face. Whether she was acting or not, it was hard for him to see her sad. Staring at him with her giant sparkling cat eyes, it was enough to break his tough barrier.

“Which one do you like...?”

“This one!”

“Okay you can get it.”

Excitedly bouncing up and down she grabbed the bracelet with a little silver bell. Luckily the one she picked did not happen to be too expensive. Haruki paid for the item and carefully helped put it around Rena’s wrist. She waved her hand around causing the bells to jingle, this turned out to be an endless source of entertainment.

“So where do we go next, on our date?”

Cutely batting her eye lashes at him as she held out her hand. As she was waiting for him to grab on, it dawned on him, that they were basically on a date. Anyone who was watching would have thought they were a couple. Grabbing her hand as he tried not make it look to awkward, he still could not see anywhere they could find a phone to buy.

“Well I guess at this point, we might as well get something to eat.”

“Nyaa~ food!”

Rena immediately led him to the nearest stall set up with food. Appearing before them was counter set up with freshly baked goods. She leaned forward cutely and once again looked at him with her adorable expression.

“Can I please have this?”

From the angle she was leaning, he could see two very noticeable shapes that were hard to ignore. Doing his best not to directly stare, he looked at the baking on the counter.

“Yes... go ahead.”

She’s getting really hard to say no to...

After purchasing a small raspberry pie, Rena wasted no time with consuming most of it. Half-way through finishing, she looked up and realized he was staring. Feeling a bit embarrassed about not sharing, she stopped eating.

“Ohh... I’m sorry would you like to have some?”

“Haha, it’s okay I will eat later.”

At this point Rena had already forgotten about the reason they had set out on their adventure. Too busy immersing in everything to see and do, she became easily distracted. Haruki was relieved that she did seem to be enjoying herself; something he had secretly hoped to accomplish by bringing her out.

“Ooooh what is this!?”

Grabbing Haruki’s hand, she pulled him excitedly from one place to the next. Harukki was enjoying being close to her and spending quality time, however, it was starting to get late. What they had come to accomplish had not happened at all. Once they had seen almost everything there was to experience, Haruki felt it was starting to get late.

“I think we should start heading home before it’s gets to late.”

“...but there's still more things we haven't done.”

“We can come back tomorrow.”

Rena looked a bit upset that it was time for them to leave. There was so many interesting things that she felt like she could spend all day.

“Okay...”

Following his lead she slowly walked beside him heading back the way they came. The streets were being lit up by paper lanterns as the sun started to disappear. Grabbing onto his hand as they romantically walked through the market, Rena glanced up at him

“I did have a fun time with you... Purr~”

Softly purring as she rubbed against his shoulder, he was caught off guard by the sensation. Being this close and affectionate with a girl was not something Haruki was accustomed to. When Rena cutely purred, it set off all kinds of feelings within him. Not wanting the evening to end, he looked around for one last thing they could do.

“Hey, whats that place?”

Tucked between an old bakery and an abandoned building, was a peculiar looking shop. It had a dark purple roof and a sign out front that read.

Erica’s Magical Antiques and Books.

“I don’t think I have ever seen this shop before.”

Thinking that the place was odd looking, Rena wasn’t so sure she wanted to go in. There was a strange but familiar feeling coming from the building. Wanting to continue home, Rena started walking in the other direction.

“Where you going? Let’s check this place out, maybe there is something interesting.”

“Okay... but I don’t want to stay to long.”

Entering the building, Haruki was intrigued by the lot of mysterious objects on the shelves. Behind the front counter stood a small cute girl. Haruki felt that he had seen her somewhere before but couldn’t recall where. 

With long pink hair that trailed down her back, a girl like that wouldn’t be hard to remember. She wore a revealing pink sundress with white lace that showed a bit too much as she leaned over the counter. Looking at her, for some reason he felt a bit nervous to approach.

“Welcome! You both don’t look like regular customers.”

Glancing between both of them, she had a curious expression on her face.

With her eyes wide, Rena looked over at the girl and tried to calm the strange feeling inside. Moving next to Haruki, she felt a bit cautious as they approached the counter.

“What kind of customers... are regular?”

The mysterious girl laughed as she leaned her face on her hand. Looking directly into Rena’s eyes she smiled.

“Old people looking for ancient books or magical charms. Not pretty blonde girls with mysterious auras such as yourself.”

“...”

Not sure how to react to the compliment, Rena looked as if she was caught off guard. Haruki stepped up to the counter hoping he could hide her expression.

“We just happened to come in here. Were looking for a phone.”

Tilting her head while looking at him, she smiled and extended her hand out towards him in almost an invitation as opposed to a hand shake.

“”I’m Erica. This is my family's shop. I take care of it when I am not in school.”

She stepped forward and grabbed his hand and gently held it close to her. Haruki felt a bit awkward and wasn’t sure how to react knowing Rena was watching closely.

Pausing for a moment before her eyes once again met with Rena’s. Erica looked at her with an inquisitive stare.

“And what is your name miss?”

“Rena...”

Feeling a bit on edge already, Rena wasn’t sure if she could trust this girl, or how close she was getting with Haruki.

“Well that is a cute name if I have ever heard one. You’re not local to here are you?”

“No... why do you ask?”

Erica’s eyes seemed to let off a sparkle as she clapped her hands together with a joyous expression. Coming out from behind the counter, she stood directly in front of Rena.

“Just a feeling I have!”

“Is there something about me that looks strange...”

“Nope. but I’m glad you came!”

Haruki could sense that Rena was feeling a bit uncomfortable. The whole feeling of the shop was a bit odd in itself. Trying to change the direction of the conversation he pointed at the items on the shelves.

“So what is this place?”

“This is my grandmothers shop. But mainly it’s just a collection of all her old things.”

Thinking he recognized some of the items, for some reason the things reminded him of his mother. Various spiritual objects and things you would see in a shrine were all scattered around.

“What was your Grandmother?”

“She used to be a shrine maiden.”

Rena expression lit up as she felt like she remembered what that was but the thought made her heart start to beat. Noticing that Erica was curiously watching her again, Rena stepped out from behind Haruki.

“What’s a shrine maiden...?”

“I’m glad you asked, a shrine maiden is responsible for connecting with spirits. She believed that it was her responsibility to watch the connection between our realms.”

Rena’s eyes grew large as the look on her face started to fill with shock. The conversation was making her feel uncomfortable but also a bit intrigued about it all. With how Erica was staring at her made Rena feel nervous, like she was being exposed.

“Did your grandmother ever talk about spirits.”

“Of course! All the time. She would often tell me stories about spirits and Yokai that would come to visit. She would say they would come across for either curiosity... or love.”

Rena was starting to turn bright red as she felt that Erica was talking directly about her. Whether it was a coincidence or not, Rena was starting to feel flustered at the thought of Yokai coming for love.

Noticing the reaction Rena was having, Erica tilted her head as she stepped forward and grabbed her hand.

“Of course those were just stories right?”

Reaching their absolute peak, Rena’s emotions were about to burst. Being touched from the mysterious girl caused her to jump. The sudden motion caused, Rena to knock over a large pot from the counter.

“Nyaaa!!!”

Scarred from the sound of the pot hitting the ground Rena ran and hid behind Haruki. What she didn’t notice was that her tail flew out under her skirt from all the commotion.

Trying to quickly hide the fluffy tail that was nervously swaying back and forth, it was already to late and Erica saw all that she needed. Rena stood still holding on to her tail as she awkwardly hid her face.

But instead of looking at her with shock, Erica’s face lit up with wonder as she gazed at Rena. Smiling at her with a welcoming expression, Erica held no judgment in her eyes.

“I knew it!”

Not thinking about if it was appropriate or not, Erica reached out to touch Rena’s tail. Pulling it back out of reflex Rena glared with a frightened expression. Holding it tight to her body, she didn’t like anyone touching her there.

“That tail.... You're... a yokai!”

“I–I dunno...”

Erica excitedly looked at Rena while keeping her distance this time. Then stepping forward and Picking up the fallen pot, she smiled.

“You’re just like the stories my grandmother told me about. I always knew you were real.”

Feeling a bit shy and overwhelmed, Rena realized there was no point in hiding and undid the black ribbon that was holding her hair. Her ears popped out the sides of her head and fully revealed her true appearance.

“Wow, those ears...!”

Rena bashfully looked down at her tail as her ears twitched out of nervousness. This was the first time anyone but Haruki had seen what she truly looked like. Something about it all made her feel vulnerable and all she could do was stand still.

Haruki sensing that she was feeling stressed, stood closer to her and felt it was time for him to intervene. Not sure what he could say to rationalize the situation, he said the first thing that came to mind.

“Please... don’t tell anyone.”

Looking up at the girl that was staring at her, Rena wasn’t entirely sure if she could trust. Part of her felt strange around another Human what she really was.

“I am not really sure what I am... or where I am from...”

“...I promise I won’t. But wait a minute, I remember something!”

Erica felt that she understood how Rena must feel, and calmed her surprised demeanour. Remembering that she had read something about Yokai before, she grabbed an old looking book off the shelf. Shuffling through the pages she stopped when she found what she was looking for.

“Look, there have been many old stories about spirits just like you!”

Rena looked quite intrigued at the mention of stories about other yokai. Gazing at the page held open in front of her, a strange feeling overtook her senses. The picture on the page was of a beautiful fox women standing next to a young child.

“W–what is this...?”

A large smile grew across Erica’s face as she moved closer. Holding the book open, there appeared to be long story written inside. Feeling just as nervous as Rena, this was the first time she encountered another spirit just like in the book.

“Let me explain. This is an old tale my grandmother used to tell me. It’s about a Kitsune that came to visit and fell in love.”

Trying to not look flustered, Rena held on to her tail to keep it from moving, as her face started to get flushed. Something about another Yokai falling in love, interested Rena, but she didn’t want too obvious. It was true that she did have some kind of pleasant feelings around Haruki, but she never thought about if it was love.

“...Do you believe the story’s are real?”

Nodding her head, Erica began to flip through more pages revealing the beginning of the story.

“I always have, and you being here is proof of that.”

Erica noticed that Haruki had been mostly quiet the entire time. Leaning forward at just the right angle and staring into his eyes, she grinned.

“Would you like me to read the story?”

With the way Erica’s dress complimented her figure, it was almost a bit too showy. Haruki couldn’t help himself for a brief second and peeked for a bit too long. Rena noticed that Haruki was acting strange, caught him red handed as he stared at the other girl.

“Soo, what you looking at...?”

“Uhhh- I was just curious about the pictures in the book... haha.”

Erica straightened her posture and brushed her hair out of her face. Changing her focus back on Rena, she pointed at the pages.

“The story tells about a time when the spiritual barrier between our worlds was not so strong, and sometimes an opening forms. Sometimes spirits or Yokai can come through. Usually... it’s the female’s looking for love.”

Rena let go of her tail as it started to move around uncontrollably. Trying to catch it quickly, it eventually wrapped itself around her leg.

“D–do they really...?”

“Yes, and this is one of my favourite story's. It’s a love story about a fox girl and a human man who found her. The tale of Kuzunoha, the white fox woman.”

“W–who was she...?”

“Just like you, she was a Yokai. A Kitsune with powerful magic. But more than that she was very wise. No one knows why she came here, but one day while in her fox form she was being chased through the forest by a hunter.”

Rena was fully invested in the story that Erica was telling. Her full attention was on everything Erica was saying. Rena felt that maybe if she could understand about another Yokai, maybe it would help her understand how she ended up in the human world.

“What happened to her...?”

“So full of questions.... What happened was, a kind nobleman happened to find her. Seeing how she was scared, he decided to help. Not even fully knowing what she was he risked his life for her so she could escape.”

“But... what else happened.”

“Hehe... she was so thankful for his help she secretly followed him back home. Appearing to him as a beautiful woman, kind of just like you.”

By this time Rena’s face had turned bright red, and event though she knew where Erica was going with this story, she was too entranced to turn away.

“S–so did she stay with him?”

“Yes, she did for a long time. They fell deeply in love and he never knew the truth. Eventually they had a baby.”

“W–wait they had a baby?!”

Rena had never thought about the possibility of humans and Yokai having a child. If this was something that was possible, Rena felt that it would not be something that was allowed. Unsure why she felt that way, a suspicion made her believe that’s how it must be.

“They did, and he was very special. He inherited the powers of his mother and was able to perform great magic.”

“But... if this is all true, why are their no other Yokai around?”

Pausing to think about Rena’s question, Erica’s excited energy slowly started to fade. When she looked up at Rena, her face was more serious than before.

“...Sadly this story ends in tragedy.”

Erica closed the book abruptly and put it back on the shelf. The overall atmosphere of the shop changed. It seemed like Erica did not want to continue with the rest of the tale.

“Nyaa~! You can’t just leave it like that, what happened?”

“...Yokai aren’t meant to live in our world forever. One night she had to leave and returned to the forest. Only leaving behind a clue in the form of a poem.”

Standing up straight as if she was preparing to act out a scene from a play, Erica closed her eyes and started to recite the enchanted poem.

“If you love me, come find me in the Forest, where the leaves whisper my name.”

Taken back from hearing the magical story, Rena felt mesmerized with how the story ended. Quietly standing still with her eyes wide, she noticed that her tail had wandered off. Curling itself around Haruki’s leg, it hugged him closely.

“That’s a beautiful story...”

“Almost as beautiful as a cute cat girl who came here and met a handsome boy.”

This time both Haruki and Rena’s face turned red. Rena realized where her tail had been and she quickly snatched it back and nervously started to pet it.

“It’s not like, I’m going to have a baby with a human or anything...”

“Pfft...!”

Almost spitting out onto the counter from how caught off guard he was, Haruki thought it was time for him to end this conversation.

“Okay, that’s a great story and all, but it’s just an old myth.”

“How can you say that! When you can see what is in front of you?”

Erica found his lack of belief upsetting, especially considering the circumstances. As someone who dedicated most of her life to researching old tales and honouring her families beliefs, she could not understand someone who couldn’t feel the same as her.

“Do you actually believe in story’s like that?”

“Yes, because I choose to.”

Haruki had heard this story before as well, it was a common tale that was told amongst the people in the area. Since his mother was also a shrine maiden he was used to hearing such story's. No matter how many times he heard it, nothing about it made him feel anything special.

“It’s getting late... we should probably get going.”

“Oh... I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to make you two feel awkward.”

Looking up at Haruki a bit too longingly, she reached out and touched his hand. But upon making contact she noticed a jealous pair of eyes staring at her. Erica flirtatiously smiled and gracefully moved back behind the counter. Turning her attention back on Rena, she leaned forward and stared into her eyes.

“Even if you don’t remember who you are, don’t be afraid of your true self. You are beautiful and there are fragments of magic in all of us.”

Rena remained silent. It was a lot for her to dwell upon. After hearing Yokai romance story’s and hearing the possibility of falling in love with a human, she wasn’t sure how to feel.

“P–please don’t tell anyone about me.”

“I won’t, my lips are sealed, but promise me you will come back!”

“Wait, before we leave... do you know anything about other types of Yokai?”

Asking one last question before turning to leave, Haruki was still curious about what they had encountered the other night.

“Depends on what you mean...?”

“For example, not just the good stories. What do you know about evil spirits.”

“Why do you want to know that?”

Not a question she got asked often, Erica felt a big taken a back at what he was saying. This particular topic was not something she felt good talking about.

“Lets just say I have a curiosity, and want to make sure we don’t see anything weird.”

“There are both good and evil spirits... but as long as the light outweighs the dark, there will be balance.”

Haruki wasn’t fully aware of what she meant but could tell she was uncomfortable. Grabbing the black ribbon that Rena had put on the counter he handed it to her and turned towards the door. Taking this as her que to leave, Rena started tying her hair back up as to hide her ears. Doing her best to stuff her tail back into hiding under her skirt, she felt uncomfortable once again. As they both started heading towards the exit, Erica’s voice trailed after them.

“See you again soon! I will have a surprise for you both on the festival!”

On the way back home, Rena was abnormally quiet. Regardless of the unanswered questions racing through her head, she didn’t know what to talk about first. Walking slowly beside Haruki, her hands remained alone at her sides.

“...I’m not sure I want to back there again!”

“Hey at least you got a nice bracelet.”

Fidgeting with the cute piece of jewellery around her wrist, Rena was happy about getting a gift from him.

The rest of this date was not as enjoyable, especially meeting that strange girl. Did she have to look at him that way? ...and whats with that story she was she telling, about another Yokai having a baby.

“Rena... is everything okay?”

“—I don’t like how she looked at you!”

“Not sure what you mean...”

“I saw how she grabbed your hand!”

This was the first time Rena had seen another girl get so close to Haruki. It wasn’t like she was trying to be jealous, but it kinda just happened. The thought of him maybe liking a human girl more, in some ways bothered her.

Maybe it’s better if he is with another human...

Haruki stopped walking for a moment. He could feel that she must have been deep in thought. Everything that she had just learned from the girl in the market, must have been weighing heavy on Rena’s thoughts.

It took a bit for Rena to realize that he was no longer next to her. Finally noticing the absence of his presence she turned to back to look.

“Just so you know, I intend on keeping my promise to you, and helping you remember.”

Rena started to feel bad for being so jealous and upset. All she wanted to do was enjoy the day in the market with him, but she let her feeling get the best of her. Shyly making her way back over to him she gently reached out her hand.

“...I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. I know you must be dealing with a lot.”

Placing his hand in hers, he resumed walking next to her down the path heading back to their home. The sky was now dark and the stars were starting to appear. Off in the distance he could see his house by the forest.

“Do you think what she said is true...?”

“Hmm... about what?”

“Yokai and humans falling in love... having children, and living together even for a little while.”

As she asked him she was staring up into the empty night. Part of her hoped that he had an answer for her, but she also felt it was a bit more complicated.

“I guess... maybe if both sides care enough.”

“Part of me keeps thinking about what kind of person I was before I forgot everything. Was I kind? Or maybe I was selfish... Why did I end up here?

Unsure of what to say, truthfully he had no idea. Moving closer so their shoulders touched, all he could do was try to comfort her the best he could. Everything was hard for him to grasp on his own, up until this point he didn’t believe in Kami, Yokai, spirits, or any of it. Someone like Rena being next to him was a strange feeling he wasn’t sure how to understand.

“I’m sure whoever you were before, you were a good spirit.”

Rena wasn’t so sure, but she hoped there was truth to his words. Gripping her hand tighter around his, she felt safer when he was next to her. Not fully ready to understand what that meant, at least it felt familiar.

“I keep remembering fragments... of small things, and feelings. I don’t remember anything about who I was... but when I am with you, I feel safe.”

Haruki reached around and patted her head, causing her ears to lazily droop. And as they drew closer to his house, a blue light softly glowed from her chest.