After that heavy and emotional conversation about Inara's needs and her nine different forms, Inu quickly returned to an oddly rambunctious mood. Over the next two days, the dog-spirit's mischief and roughhousing ramped up until it was genuinely annoying. She tickled Akari's sides while they were doing sit-ups together, she tossed diced chicken directly into Usagi's pot of vegetarian stew, and she hid many of Hebi's office supplies far away in the shed.

Most of Inu's strange actions were just immature pranks, but there was also another change in her personality. One particularly humid morning, after working up a sweat exercising outside with Akari, she casually stripped off her sweaty clothes and resumed her jog naked from the ankles up. She was invisible to normal people, so it wasn't a problem for the shrine or the occasional early visitor, but it was definitely making it hard for Akari to focus on her own workout.

"Um, Inu?" Akari started, averting her eyes from Inu's remarkably fit and attractive body. "Can you put on some clothes?"

Inu stopped, tilted her head, and put a hand on her bare hip. The movement highlighted the musculature of her abs and the lines of her lower stomach and hips. "And get another outfit dirty?"

Akari's face was heating up. She begged, "I'll do your laundry for you today, just please cover up."

"Sure. I'll take that trade," Inu said with a smile. Then she jogged away toward the shrine building to get dressed, her fluffy tail flicking side to side over a naked butt.

I admire her confidence, Akari thought, but I don't think I'll ever need to be quite that comfortable with my body.

"Akari?"

Akari was focused on the smooth white fabric before her, carefully guiding it through the rhythmically pounding foot of a rented sewing machine. She'd been sewing for a few hours each day, working on miko costumes for the festival prize winners. She held these to a higher standard than the ones she'd whipped up for her housemates to wear during the festival, so she still had a lot of work to go before the two outfits were ready to send to their new owners.

"Akari?" the voice repeated. Then sweetly, "Kari-chan?"

That got Akari's attention instantly. Only one person in the world used that nickname. Akari looked up from her work and saw Inara standing in the doorway, majestic and beautiful. She was dressed in a long pastel-pink robe, looking casual and comfortable and cozy.

Akari bowed her head briefly, then said, "Oh, sorry, Inara. I guess I was in the zone."

Inara smiled. The sight of it caused Akari's heart to skip a beat. Then the goddess said, "Do not fret. I just have a small favor to ask of you, for whenever you next travel into town."

Akari smiled back, trying to keep from getting flustered by Inara's beauty. "I'll be going down for some errands this afternoon. What do you need?"

Inara's expression grew serious. "I've been feeling something strange in town, an emotional disturbance. I'd like you to investigate just in case it's something spirit related, like a certain inarizushi incident."

"Ah, yes, I can do that." Akari had never expected spirit detective work to be part of her job, but it was certainly a more exciting way to spend the afternoon than shopping or sewing.

"Thank you, Akari. Please visit the other Shinto shrines and ask if they have noticed any spiritual disruptions."

Akari had no idea how to ask something like that without looking crazy, but she answered, "Got it. I'll ask around while I'm shopping for this weekend's ceremony."

Inara's eyes lit up. "Oh yes, that is approaching, isn't it?" Then her ears wilted. "I hope we get a decent turnout. A few people have wandered up here since the festival, but I can't help but worry that our weekend worship attendance will be pitiful."

Akari couldn't stand to see Inara downhearted. She quickly responded, "I'm sure it will be fine. But I'll try to plug the shrine while I'm out tonight, just in case."

Inara smiled and said, "Thank you, Kari-chan. I'll let you get back to work now." Then she shuffled off down the hall, tails swishing cheerfully behind her.

Akari worked a while longer until she hit a good stopping point on her sewing, then she left for town. The new and improved forest path, lined with sturdy logs and wooden handrails, made for a peaceful and relaxing trip alone with her thoughts.

Things are pretty great these days, she thought, all things considered. Akari was still getting used to some of her housemates' quirks, but her new life was going well. She didn't really miss her old apartment or the neighborhood around it, and she could still visit her favorite movie theater and pastry shop if she wanted to, and if she found the free time. She was always busy nowadays, but not quite overloaded.

She also missed her old job a little, which was likely why her feet carried her straight to the Nakahara Shrine. It was a small shrine, with just one little wooden building, a cobblestone yard area surrounded by trees, and a single stone honden. A priest in white robes was busy sweeping the yard. Other than him, the shrine was empty.

"Hello, Jin," Akari called out as she approached, one hand idly tugging on the hem of her t-shirt. It felt strange to be at the shrine in street clothes after years of working in her shrine maiden uniform.

The dark-haired man turned and smiled warmly, forming small wrinkles at the corners of his eyes. He leaned on his broom and said, "Akari! How great to see you. I wish I had been able to attend your new shrine's Rei-sai, but I had to take Mika to visit her mother in Tokyo."

Akari shook her head. "Don't worry, there will be plenty of other chances to see the shrine. Maybe even this Saturday for our first normal worship," she suggested.

Then she glanced around, looking for the distinctive red and white of a shrine maiden. "Where is Mika, anyway?" Mika was Jin's teenage daughter and a miko in training. She was also very friendly and had an enthusiasm that Akari respected.

Jin answered, "She's on a school trip for the rest of the week." Then when Akari's face took on a concerned look, he added, "But don't worry about me, I hired another shrine maiden to replace you. She's off today since we didn't have anything scheduled, but she'll be here tomorrow."

Akari relaxed. "Oh, that's nice. I really did feel bad about leaving so suddenly."

He raised one eyebrow. "I just told you not to worry about me. Chase your own dreams, Akari."

Akari looked down at her feet, then said, "Um, Jin? Mind if I ask an odd question?"

"Not a all," he said simply.

She looked up. "Have you heard or seen anything strange in the last couple days? Maybe something spiritual?"

He blinked. "Hmm, nothing particularly wild, like a ghost on the loose or UFOs in the sky, but two of my regular visitors are home sick. They're both healthy young men, so it's odd for them to be sick at all." He paused for just an instant, then continued, "I went to check on them yesterday. They don't even know each other, but they have the exact same symptoms."

Jin counted off on his fingers as he continued, "Sore, exhausted, and very sleepy." He dropped his hands and shrugged. "Both of their doctors said it didn't seem to be the flu or any other disease, just physical exhaustion for some reason."

Akari's brow furrowed. "Huh, that is really strange. You said they're both young men?"

He smiled, misinterpreting her motivations. "Yes indeed, both your age, give or take a year, and they're both single." He put way too much emphasis on that last word.

Akari fought off the urge to roll her eyes. Jin had been trying to set her up with local guys for years. She had never refused him outright because she had never wanted to explain her complicated sexuality to her boss. But ever since her bad breakup with Watanabe, she had a hard time feeling attraction to men.

She decided to ignore Jin's matchmaking attempts yet again. "Alright, thanks for the info." She gave a little wave and said, "I've got some shopping to do, but I'll see you around."

Jin looked a little puzzled at Akari's change of heart and the rest of the odd exchange, but he didn't seem too bothered. He waved and said, "Have a good one, Akari!"

Next, Akari hit up the hardware store for some woodworking tools to replace the ones Hebi had worn out making her wooden figures. She bought what she needed without issue, using cash she'd withdrawn from the shrine's bank account. She wondered how much was in that fund, but the ATM never showed that information for some reason. It was always happy to say just how little was left in her own account…

Then she stopped by the Sakura Creek shrine to ask about spiritual disturbances, but they were closed for some reason. Finally, she visited the market for groceries. While picking out fruit for Usagi's new-visitor-welcome-banquet, Akari overheard an interesting conversation.

"I saw the strangest thing last night," an older lady said, leaning over conspiratorially. "A woman was standing in the park, the one near the creek and the corner store, wearing animal ears on her head. Pointy ones, like a cat or dog's."

The woman to her left just shrugged and went back to examining vegetables. "Maybe it's that cos-play thing, where people get together and dress up like characters from their anime shows. My daughter used to be into it, back when she was in college."

"Ah, I suppose. But this woman was all alone, just looming there in the dark. Isn't that strange?"

Again, her conversation partner was unimpressed. "Kids these days are all strange. I try not to worry about it. Worrying will give you more wrinkles, Fusako."

Akari's grocery list took her to another part of the store, but her thoughts lingered on that conversation. Could the mystery woman be a greater spirit? And could she be related to the two guys who got sick? Do evil spirits that like to put curses on humans really exist?

"Welcome back, Akari," Hebi said with a little wave of her tail as Akari stepped through the front door of the shrine. She took one of Akari's bags of groceries and carried it towards the kitchen. "And you've arrived at the right time."

"Huh, what for?" Akari set her bag on the counter next to the fridge and started unloading it.

"You've seen how Inu's been acting, yeah?"

"Yeah. It'd be hard to miss." Akari giggled, then resumed, "Any idea—"

Hebi started talking at the same time, inadvertently cutting Akari off. "Well, she just ran off into town again. No need to go after her now, but can you keep an ear open for any mention of a dog causing trouble?"

Akari almost dropped the box of panko crumbs she was holding. What if the mystery woman was Inu? Has she been sneaking into town and, I don't know, stealing people's life force? She shook her head, not wanting to believe it.

She answered as calmly as possible, "Sure thing, Hebi. And, um, I already heard something that might be related. Some ladies were talking about a woman with animal ears hanging around town at night. They thought it was cosplay, but I'm not sure."

Hebi shook her head and tail in unison. "Nah, Inu definitely can't take human form outside these shrine grounds. I can't even do that yet, and I'm much older and stronger than her. She's probably just running around town as a dog, chasing cats or stealing steaks."

It felt like a weight had been lifted from Akari's shoulders. Compared to her fear that Inu had turned vampire, a hyperactive dog was barely a problem at all. "Huh, alright. And thanks for the help with the groceries."

Hebi grinned wide. "Just remember it the next time I need something."

Akari blinked in confusion. Didn't you just ask me a favor? Yet I owe you now? Before Akari could say anything aloud, Hebi strode away like she had an important meeting to attend. She really had that 'office woman' aesthetic on lock.

The next morning, the distinctive sound of Shinto ritual bells rang out, filling Akari's bedroom with melodious tones. It took until the second ring for Akari to wake up and realize it wasn't actual suzu bells, but her phone's ringtone. She wasn't used to it yet since she didn't get many phone calls, especially with the festival over and done.

She grabbed at the phone, finally got it to her ear, and answered, "Hello? Akari here." She glanced at the clock on her dresser and saw it was almost 8am. She'd stayed up late sewing and had been hoping to sleep in until at least 9. So much for that plan.

"Oh good, I need your help, Akari." A man's voice, and one she knew very well.

"Jin? What's wrong?" It's not like him to sound so worried.

"You know how I hired a new shrine maiden? Well, she just called out sick."

Akari was about to say that she was too busy at her new shrine to go back to work for him, but he continued, "I'm worried that it could be the same thing as those two young men. I want to go check on her, but I'm too busy at the shrine, picking up all her work. Can you please visit her for a few minutes, to see if she's okay?"

Not only was that a pretty easy request to fulfill, it also fit with her current duties. Inara had specifically asked her to investigate spiritual issues, and three visitors of the same shrine all falling to the same mystery illness certainly qualified. She could even listen around for Inu's troublemaking while she was down there.

Akari was already pulling on some shorts. "Yes, I can do that. What's her name and address?"

"Her name's Hanako Sugihara, and I believe she was an underclassman of yours, so you may have already met. She lives on the south side of town, across the street from the convenience store by the creek park. She's on the ground floor of building number 5, suite B."

Near where that mystery woman was spotted! "Got it. I know the place. I'll head over right now."

His relief was audible as he said, "Thanks so much, Akari."

"No problem, Jin. Just happy to help out."

Akari knocked and waited for about a minute before someone answered. The woman who came to the door was unwell, no doubt about it. She was supposed to be two years younger than Akari, but in her current state she looked a decade older, at least. There were bags under her eyes and her black hair was an unbrushed mess. Even her flannel pajamas were disheveled, with one pant leg rolled part way up her calf.

"Hello? Can I help you?" the woman asked, her words slurred. She was holding herself up by the door handle and she swayed left and right as the door swung from side to side.

"Hanako? Jin from the shrine asked me to check in on you. My name's Akari."

"Ah, I recognize you now, senpai. I've been working hard to live up to your legacy at the shrine. I'll make some tea." With that, Hanako wobbled into the apartment, unsteady on her feet.

Akari was terrified by the thought of Hanako handling boiling water in that state, so she said, "No tea, please. I don't want to impose."

The girl shrugged, said, "Works for me," and flopped down into a pile of blankets next to a table covered in manga. There was a TV, but it was turned off. "Have a seat if you want. Docs said whatever I have isn't contagious."

Akari sat down and said, "Jin seemed worried about you. How are you feeling?"

"Exhausted. Never been so tired in my life, no matter how much I sleep," Hanako answered. "I got bored of laying in bed, so I've been watching anime out here, napping when I can." Then she blushed. "Sorry about the mess, senpai. I didn't think anyone would be visiting. But it's real nice of Jin to be thinking of me."

Akari glanced around the room, which really wasn't very messy at all. The walls were covered with anime-related posters and shelves of manga, but it felt organized and lived-in, not sloppy.

"Can I ask what you were doing before you got sick? I heard yesterday was your day off?" Akari asked.

"I was sick yesterday too. Didn't bother to tell Jin, since I hoped I'd feel better by today."

"And what about before that?"

Hanako met Akari's eyes for a second, looked like she was considering something important, then blushed and looked down at the floor. "I'd rather not say."

Okay… what could that mean? Akari thought. I wish I knew her better, so I could figure out what she's so reluctant to talk about. Even though Akari and Hanako had gone to the same school at the same time, they were two years apart and had never formally met before.

As she thought, Akari looked around the room again and she noticed an odd trend: all the anime posters and figures were of women and some of them were a bit suggestive, with exposed skin and glimpses of panties. Nothing you wouldn't let your friends see, but definitely more risque than you'd show your parents.

Akari got an idea to break the ice. In a conversational tone, she said, "Hey, Hanako, do you have a girlfriend?"

"I wish," she answered instantly, then she slapped her hands over her mouth. Through her fingers, she quickly corrected, "That's not what I meant. I thought you said boyfriend. Yeah."

Akari gently said, "It's okay. I'm into women, too. In a relationship, actually." Then she thought, Sort of. I'm still not sure what our relationship is exactly, and the whole nine-different-Inaras thing isn't helping…

"Really?" Hanako looked awake for the first time since she'd opened the front door.

Akari put on her best smile and scooted closer to Hanko, who seemed to be in dire need of a role model. "Really. I'm still figuring things out, but who isn't?" Then she asked, "So, are you more open to talking about what happened now?"

Hanako nodded. "Yeah… So, the night before last, I met a woman about my age. Beautiful, with a great sense of style, all edgy and dark. Her name's Itazu. She came over, and we, um, hung out… all night. But then Ichi came home." She paused her story to clarify, "That's my cat. He's got a cat-door so he can let himself in."

Akari glanced around the small apartment, looking for a cat, but it seemed Ichi was outside at the moment.

Hanako's expression got serious. "When Ichi saw Itazu, he went berserk. Tried to attack her. And she freaked out too. She left in a hurry, not even grabbing her clothes. I remember that." Hanako paused for to drink some water from a plastic bottle, giving Akari a chance to connect Hanako's clothes comment to her vague description of what they'd done all night. They had been getting intimate. Then Hanako finished, "But when Ichi finally calmed down, her clothes were gone too."

Akari blinked at that last part. Before that, the mystery woman just seemed like a promiscuous teen, but now things were definitely supernatural. She asked, "And that's when you started feeling sick?"

Hanako nodded weakly. "Not really sick though, just really tired. But I guess we did stay up late, um, doing things."

Akari said, "You can say it. I'm used to hearing about sex." That made it sound like she was more experienced than she was, but she wanted to be a knowledgeable senpai for Hanako.

Hanako lowered her voice and whispered, "I'd only ever fooled around before, but this woman, she was a master. We did all kinds of stuff, stuff I've never even seen in doujinshi. It was crazy and amazing. If that's what sex is like, then consider me a fan."

Then she frowned. "But I guess she isn't going to come back… She didn't leave a phone number or even tell me her full name. And there was something weird about her, wasn't there? How did her clothes disappear? Was she magical?" Hanako was slurring her words a little, like she was half asleep. She was clearly still exhausted; all that sex had taken far more out of her than it should have.

Akari was already convinced that this 'Itazu' was directly related to the animal-ear woman in the park and the two men who had fallen ill. The fact that her name was one syllable off from 'itazura', meaning 'mischief', was not lost on Akari. What's with spirits and straight-forward names like that?

She put a hand on Hanako's shoulder. "I don't know about all that, but you should be wary of her. You're not the first person this week to mention a woman like that."

Hanako's eyes went wide. "She's sleeping around?" Then she shook her head. "More power to her, I guess. It's not like we're in a relationship. I bet Itazu wasn't even her real name."

Then she yawned wide. "Well, thanks Akari, for talking to me. It's nice to be out of the closet to someone I look up to…" Then she tipped over into her makeshift nest of blankets and fell asleep.

I guess I'm a role model now? Feels kinda nice, Akari thought as she started toward the door. Before she could reach it, a flap at the bottom of the door lifted and a white face with black spots pushed its way through.

"Oh, hello there. You must be Ichi," Akari said, crouching down to greet the cat.

He was instantly friendly, nuzzling her leg and purring while she pet him. How strange. He warmed up to me awfully fast. Why'd he have such a problem with Itazu?

"Thanks for meeting with me," Akari said. Hebi and Inara were seated across the kitchen table, looking a bit puzzled.

"What's this about, Akari?" Inara asked. Her tone was serious, so she may have already sensed the situation.

"It's about the disturbance in town," Akari answered. Then for Hebi's benefit, she said, "Inara sensed an emotional disturbance and asked me to investigate."

Hebi nodded in understanding and Inara said, "Ah, of course. What have you learned?"

Akari took a deep breath. She was about to make some tenuous connections and serious accusations without much hard evidence, but she had to trust her gut. She sat up straight and said, "A woman has been sleeping around in Shinjō, particularly in the south part of town and particularly with devout Shinto followers. The people she slept with have been severely exhausted for multiple days now. At least three people between the ages of 18 and 22 have fallen victim so far. She has been seen with animal ears, and cats seem to hate her."

The room was dead silent for a moment, then Hebi spoke. "You don't still think it's Inu, do you?" She didn't bother to lower her voice, since Inu had run off to town mere minutes prior.

"I don't know. I'll be the first to admit that I don't understand the powers that greater spirits have, but I don't know who else it could be."

Hebi stood up. "I'll go search for rumors online, to see if I can find out more. And if I have to, I'll slip down into town tonight and watch. The weather should still be warm enough for my snake form."

"Please do," Inara told her. Once Hebi had left, she turned to Akari and said, "Regardless of who this mystery woman may be, I need to fix the damage she has caused. Please build a list of people who directly experienced anything supernatural."

Akari blanched. "You're going to wipe their memories?" She was torn; she hated the thought of people losing memories they might care about, but she also understood that having knowledge of the supernatural could cause its own trouble. Her thoughts drifted back to her childhood when people thought she had an overactive imagination and made fun of her because she saw little wisps. If these adult victims told others about a mystical energy-draining woman, the social consequences would be much more severe. At best, they'd be dismissed as crazy or joking. At worst… Akari didn't want to think about that.

Inara nodded and added, "I'll also restore their energy. It should return on its own, especially if they are as devout as you said, but it is better to be safe than sorry."

"Um." Akari fidgeted, unsure how to ask about the unusual topic. "What exactly did this woman do to them? I'm guessing she stole their life energy somehow?"

"You're partially correct. I believe she has been taking two other things as well: carnal energy and spirit energy."

Akari could guess that carnal energy was associated with sex, but that last one didn't make any sense. "Spirit energy? But they're just regular people. I don't think any of them can see spirits like I can."

Inara explained, "All humans possess at least a little spiritual energy, and the religious ones have more. That's why she's been dining on Shinto worshippers. Someone like you, with your devotion to Shinto, your supernatural ability, and your direct exposure to a goddess? You're like a fully stocked all-you-can-eat buffet. On that note, please stay inside after dark until we've dealt with this mystery spirit."

Akari swallowed. "You got it, Inara-sama."