They had entered November, which greeted them with snow and chilling temperatures. It was getting progressively harder to help Youkai, seeing as they lived outside ninety percent of the time. Also, trips into the forest were basically forbidden by Oku, as she had deemed it her personal quest to keep Lawrence safe in a motherly fashion.

“You aren’t doing it yourself”, was her reasoning.

Meanwhile, Hato spent all her time with him. Oku would go to classes, but Hato seemed to be interested in anything he was, and only seemed to care about things involving him. Probably because of Hato seeing him as her master, he didn’t really mind it. Besides, she wasn’t wasting time. She had a life twenty times longer than he could imagine.

Now that he had started to be dysfunctional friends with Mark, they would spend some time together. In reality he was a pretty nice person. Lawrence was surprised how much he had flipped from depressing man-child to a genuine human being. He was pretty damn nice and caring under that shell of his.

All the while, December approacheth.

The month in which all of this would end.

He would never see Hato again.

Mark would still be there, but be alone in seeing Youkai.

He would never see Oku again.

As he thought about this, he passed a small market on the way to class with Hato, who was looking over his shoulder.

“What are you thinking about?”

“Me? Nothing.”

“Oh come on, you’re thinking about something pretty big if you’re not even talking to me!”

Lawrence smiled a bit and tried to get his mind off of December. He would at least try to spend time with them while they were around. It was the least he could do.

“It’s nothing, really, but you seem to be getting along pretty well with Oku and Mark.”

“They’re nice! Easy to get along with.”

“I suppose… how do you like the living arrangements?”

“Oku says they’re a bit tight, but it’s kind of like a nest to me. Safe and warm.”

Lawrence thought about that. It was true that it was a little bit like a birdhouse. A small door on front, and a tiny cramped space. Maybe Hato really liked that shitty dorm…

“But that isn’t what you were thinking about, you were thinking about when we go to take Oku back…”

“What? How did you…”

“I’m not an idiot you know, a little scattered but not an idiot.”

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

“I know you aren’t an idiot, but that’s scary good.”

“So what are you going to do? You don’t want to stop seeing us, do you.”

“Not at all, though I don’t see any ways around it.”

“You could ask for help.”

“From who?”

“Oku probably. She’s pretty smart about a lot of Youkai stuff.”

“Yeah I know, it’s just…”

“It’s a hard thing to talk about, I know, but I kind of need to be selfish here. I’m left in a bit of a lurch if you can’t see me. I really don’t want you to stop talking to me…”

“Hato, you know I’m going to try my best not to lose vision of you guys.”

Hato drew herself up to his face and looked into his eyes mock angrily.

“You had better, because I’m not prepared to… lose you.”

Lawrence smiled and walked into the market that he’d been going to. Classes weren’t for another hour or so, so it was a perfect time to get some drinks before class. Hato had really gotten attached to all of them since she’d joined up. It was kind of like they were her flock. She would even fly ahead of her friends to take strain off their wings during flight… She was one of the few Youkai he could truly call good.

Lawrence paid for a few drinks and handed one to Hato as he walked out.

“What’s this?”

“Just a little reward for being such a good servant.”

He smiled and popped his open, taking a long drink. Hato smiled and did the same, raising the drink in both hands.

“Oh it’s good.”

“Yep, having a soda every once in awhile is good. I try not to drink them often so when I do crack one open it’s even better. Kind of a good idea, huh? Ah but we’d better keep walking to class.”

He began his trek towards class once again, Hato following him. He liked her a lot when she was happy, and luckily that was about ninety percent of the time. As he walked through campus, the place that Hato wasn’t supposed to talk to him, he heard her say one thing, almost lost in the large crowd.

“I’m so glad you’re my friend…”

That burned him almost as much as the drink did as it went down his throat. He didn’t want to lose them. He couldn’t.

But… he didn’t want to dwell on that now. It was a waste of time. Regret not the future. He was thinking intensely to himself that next morning when he accidentally knocked into their dorm’s floor janitor. It was a middle aged man with a rugged face and wispy white  hair. Lawrence apologized and headed off to class. Hato joined him halfway through, and Oku was off in her random class of the day. When they all met for lunch they got on the subject of the winter again. Hato and Oku were at least excited, but Mark needed to have it explained to him.

“She thinks going back to the forest will return her to her form?”

“Yeah that’s what we’re hoping will work.”

“I guess I have no idea, but what’s the catalyst?”

“Catalyst?”

“Well to start her transfer back to an individual Youkai by breaking off of you, wouldn’t there need to be something to start the process? I’m no Youkai expert but it seems logical.”

“Wouldn’t entering the forest in the first place be the catalyst?”

“It’s just me but… that doesn’t feel very genuine does it.”

Lawrence wondered about that for the rest of the day. What if Oku wasn’t able to become a Youkai again for some reason. Could Mark be right? Once again lost in thought he knocked into someone in the dorm building.

“Sorr- What?”

In front of him was a short man with blue skin. He had the same wispy hair as the janitor from this morning as well. They both pointed at each other and yelled at the same time.

“You can see me!?”

“You’re the janitor from this morning?!”

The Youkai sat down on the floor thinking to himself.

“It appears we are at an impasse.”

“What? How?”

“What is your damage?”

“... Is there something wrong with you?”

“I have a request.”

“Alright.”