Ichi was glad to get up that morning. For a few minutes of bliss he didn't remember what happened yesterday. He came home after ducking into rice paddy to wash off all the Mountain Lord's blood that covered him, sopping wet. Grandpa watched him like a hawk as he interrogated and lectured him for coming home so late, but Ichi held his ground and said "oh I slipped." Ichi felt for sure Grandpa knew Ichi was lying the way he stared at him.

Grandpa gave Ichi a piece of paper he called a shikigami, and told Ichi to use it if "the twins bothered him." Ichi knew those girls at school, he never said a word to them, so the thought that they might break the ice with him

Then, Miko ambushed him. On his stomach, the cat was curled up. Ichi went to pull her off but Miko clung desperately to his pajamas, so Ichi took them off along with the cat and got dressed quickly and sprang out of his room's window, rolling on the roof he landed on the ground. Luckily he didn't ever have homework these days, Ichi mused, or he might feel guilty for not bringing a bag.

Ichi ran in a morning jog, staring behind him to make sure the cat wasn't following him. As he stopped, he saw Renya waiting for him at the usual spot, smiling and waving. When Ichi caught Renya's eyes, he felt Miko slip into his body from behind. Grabbing at his body like a mosquito bit him, Ichi sighed as he trudged over to the cheerful blonde hair blue eyed girl.

"Good morning!" Renya said. She handed him a bottle of water. Ichi took it without thinking and twisted of the top and began to drink.

Renya waited until Ichi looked like he was really chugging it, and then said:

"Heard you killed a bear yesterday and got possessed by a bakeneko?"

Ichi sputtered the water, Renya dodged neatly to the side dusting off her clothes. A single drop hit her, she felt disappointed looking at that. How imperfect, she bemoaned in her mind.

"How'd you-" Ichi's mind flashed Syon standing there after he killed the Mountain Lord. "Oh. Oh, shit."

Ichi rubbed his face clean with his shirt. Renya starting walking away, and Ichi followed her.

"It's normal to know everything about the person you love. If you killed a bear in the middle of the forest to save a cat, how couldn't I know?" Renya laughed a little.

"No, how could you possibly know?"

Renya turned on Ichi, holding her hands behind herself.

"Syon told me. Apparently, the seer's council that runs this village debated something last night, and I'm being punished for getting close to you. Have I been annoying?"

Ichi stared blankly at her. Then, he walked past her. His head felt fuzzy.

"Seer's Council?"

"Yeah. Don't you know? The people who run this village? Very powerful. It would be nice if we could kill them all and escape, don't you think?" Renya said.

Ichi never heard of them. He'd only been going to school and lounging around for the past six months. Renya's words felt ominous.

"So you're getting punished just for talking to me?"

"There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your imagination, Ichi." Renya giggled and turned around, walking away.

Ichi looked at her back. He followed as the distance between them grew. As silence settled between the two of them, Ichi felt like he wanted to tell her the truth. Everyday, Renya would act friendly and say I love you and such, but Ichi felt for sure Renya was lying. Ichi didn't say anything. As the minutes stretched on with Ichi's brain overheating over what might happen next with a punishment coming from an organization he never heard of just for playing nice with him, Ichi felt the pressure mount.

"Renya. Why do you talk to me?"

"I felt like trying to fall in love for once. It's a shame you weren't more mature." Renya complained, sighing. "There's nothing to do in this town at all. I can only write and garden so much, at least, I could make a single friend I thought."

"So, you were lying?"

"Yes?"

"Good, good." Ichi nodded. "I always had a feeling you were."

"How perceptive." Renya said, turning and smiling at Ichi.