Renya kicked Syon like a football. As Syon landed, she verbalized a wooden ouch for Renya's benefit. Renya stepped onto Syon's cheek.

"If I were to squish your head like a grape right now, I'd feel like I missed out. You're joking."

A trickle of blood came down from Syon's nose. From below Renya's foot she spoke with her head pushed into the ground.

"The apology is genuine. A puppeteer is limited by their puppets. They must know that their puppets limits are their own - and I considered you a puppet of mine from the start."

Renya's foot lifted off of Syon's face. She glanced at Tama with a crooked brow. Tama looked down on Syon like an open rotting bag of trash on the side of the road. Renya liked Tama at first sight. Syon continued as soon as she saw Renya's attention back on her.

"I lied about the bakeneko. The Seer's Council never ordered for the bakeneko to be 'transferred' to you - that was only what I told Myon from the start."

Renya's mouth shaped into a small circle.

"That's a nice lie."

"I thought you wouldn't consider the possibility that Myon was lying to you. She probably relished an excuse to give you bad news."

Renya nodded her head.

"Oh, no, she was polite about it. Made me sick. So then," Renya looked aside for a moment. "This was all because of how I reacted to your lie? If so, your aim was?"

"I wanted the bakeneko, Miko, in you. The transfer of the possession was the real part of the lie. I saw Ichi fight with the bakeneko, a half possession. Renya's greatest weakness is that you can't use magic. I wanted a Renya with magic." Syon said.

Renya looked to Miko on her shoulder, a smile spreading across her lips.

"You wanted a homunculus, you got me. You wanted to give it magic, and use it as a weapon? For what?"

Syon groaned. Both Renya and her understood that this was a situation that a single lie would break the attempt at allegiance. Syon knew Renya was playing along out of interest. If she hadn't had a history of Renya's manipulative behavior, she would have never have recruited her. However, since she knew Renya was a manipulator like herself, she knew that only a truth would have value here. Renya had the advantage.

"As I said - A puppeteer is limited by their puppets. I wanted you to consider yourself the puppeteer. By allowing you to believe you were in control, I would control you."

Renya giggled, then her laughter escaped in a burst. She wiped away a silver tear from her eye.

"And because of a small ruse like this, I managed to bring the worst enemy to your doorstep."

"Renya caught me by surprise. In many ways. I have reflected on my ability - I have already learned a great deal from this night. How did you find out about the Armory?" Syon said.

"I had two years to observe Myon and Syon. Did you know Myon would pull out a kitchen knife from there from time to time? Despite that, I never knew you were Tengu. Scipio said some interesting things, I'm glad he came. I lied to him on purpose and told him it was in your house, to get him riled up. It worked well."

Syon averted her gaze from Renya's wide smile. Renya made her final move.

"You still didn't answer my question. I asked 'For what?' did you collect me for? A tool without a use doesn't exist."

The middle of Syon's lips touched together as she grit her teeth. Squeezing her eyes together, she said the truth she knew she had to say. If she lied here, Renya could easily become an even more troublesome enemy later on in her plan.

"Revenge against Genji Danzaburo, Ichi's father, for the crime of abandoning Myon— and me."

Renya looked to Tama. Although Renya didn't even know the busty beauty with fox tails name, her eyes caught Tama's reaction to what Syon said.

"Do you have anything to add?"

Tama looked at Renya. She sized her up from head to feet, scanning with her eyes. Then, Tama nodded.

"I thought that was a wonderful sentiment. I know Genji myself, that tanuki needs to be boiled in a hotpot and eaten as soon as possible. Never did I think this girl would feel the same way. Or that she was a tengu. How fitting."

Tama covered her smile partly with her sleeve as she laughed. She walked over to Renya, her breasts meeting Renya's face as Tama looked down on her. Renya looked up into Tama's eyes. A feeling of vague familiarity drifted between the two as Renya struggled with a desire to sink her head into Tama's chest. She smiled. Tama smiled back.

"Nice to meet you, Homunculus. I am Tama. The Tamamo-no-Mae of legend. After twenty years of staying cooped up inside, I went out for one night and met a troublesome young man. I don't suppose you could assist this old woman?"

Renya grew a cavalier smile on her face. She kneeled on one knee and Miko rocked on her shoulder as she placed her hand over her heart.

"Yes, my lord."