Kaz woke up and realized the ground was about to say hello as only the ground can. Trying to tense his muscles and prevent the fall didn't help, but a strong pair of wings did.

Grabbing Kaz a moment before he completely and bonelessly hit the ground, Puff struggled to hold his weight as best she could by getting her wings under his arms and pulling him against her for support.

᱿What the heck? Why didn't you sit me down first before waking me up?᱿ Kaz thought at Miaow. Now he was struggling to ignore that Puff was naked and pressed against him. Focusing on one thing at a time, he got his legs under himself and took his weight. "Th-thanks."

Miaow wasn't too upset at the reproof, mostly because she'd finally gotten what she wanted. ᱿I can't believe you signed and agreed to that! You are the nicest human ever!᱿

᱿What do you mean? Isn't this kinda normal?᱿

᱿…᱿ Miaow had to remind herself that Kaz really hadn't had any experience with magic before that day. ᱿Most magic users are kinda selfish about it. Their familiar is theirs to command and all that. All I expected—all I hoped for—was that you would let me spend a little time living again. Instead you make this a partnership! I swear, I'm going to purr for a whole year because of this.᱿

᱿Well, I'd rather we be equals than—than the alternative. You took care of me, you said, so now let's take care of each other. Also, can we talk about my mom later?᱿

Purring all through Kaz's mind, Miaow giggled at him. ᱿Of course we can. She might have been a bit of a meanie, but I respected her.᱿

᱿Because she kicked your butt?᱿ Kaz felt the purring stop. ᱿Sorry. Just—It's nice to hear anything about her at all. We're bonded by that contract now. You're not homeless.᱿ The purring began once again in Kaz's head, and he felt a ghost sensation of a cat rubbing against his leg.

Puff gently eased her wings down a little, but Kaz started to lower with them. "You're welcome. Uh, can I put you down now? You're okay?"

A firm chest on one side and a squishy breast on the other—pressing against Kaz's shirt—reminded him that Puff was completely naked. It wasn't even as if her feathers covered her naughty bits. Getting his feet firmly on the floor and standing up, he nodded. But despite his awkward feeling toward Puff, he had been raised right. "Sorry, yeah. Thanks for the save, uh, again."

Flo threw open the door and stomped her way inside. She was covered from head to toe in glowing pink plate armor and had a huge sword and shield. Reaching her shield hand up to her face, she opened the visor of the helmet. "I don't care how long you think this will take, you must yield—" She froze when she saw that Kaz, Puff, and Jaybird were all right beside her, about to leave anyway. "Uh… I'll cover your retreat! Go! Go! Go!"

While the two Freshmen and the air spirit left the room, Flo looked at Livina. "All sorted?"

"Mal sent them to me, didn't she? Well, the boy has himself a semi-malicious yokai as his partner, and the girl got herself an air spirit." Growling out the first bit, Livina glared at Flo. "And what's all this? Putting on a show for 'em?"

"Yeah. Get their blood pumping and all that. A yokai, huh? I bet Kaz won't need much to get his blood pumping. Where is it?" Stomping her foot three times, Flo banished her armor and weapon. "Wait up, what do you mean 'partner'?"

Livina let out a laugh. "Thought that'd get ya. The lad put a stipulation on his contract that all terms count for both of them, then the yokai—being incorporeal—made one that she gets to possess his body whenever he's sleeping."

Tapping her chin and working through the implications, Flo snorted. "And if that yokai becomes corporeal again in some other way?"

"Exactly! Silly boy ran off before I could warn him. Oh, well, not my problem now. Go. Shoo! Put your toys back on and pretend I beat you black and blue!"

"Yeah, yeah. I'll keep my end of the charade up. Now I need to figure out a way to warn him about this yokai without revealing all this." Flo exerted her power and called on her magic to form her armor, shield, and sword again. "Us witches have to stick together. For the coven."

"For the coven."

Clearing her throat, Flo let loose a blood-curdling scream that shook the windows of the house. Another quick jolt of her magic added burn marks and set her sword alight with green gravefire. Bolting out of the medium's house, she slammed the door behind her. "Run! Run or she'll catch us!"

Kaz turned at the scream and saw Flo running out of Livina's house like the Devil was after her. Given how she threw fireballs back at the house, for all Kaz knew the Devil was after her. His eyes widened still as Livina stepped into the doorway and sent a jolt of lightning after Flo.

There was only one thing for the two Freshmen to do in the face of a magic shoot-out, they ran as fast as they could while Puff jumped onto Jaybird's shoulder—becoming a small bird (and less of a target).

Rounding a corner and hiding behind another building, Flo was thankful to her visor to hide her silly grin. "You three okay? Kaz, where's your familiar?" Easy enough, Flo thought, to get him to tell her all about this yokai—just like all new students liked to gab about their familiars.

"Miaow is inside me. She, uh, we kinda made a deal. She can have my body while I sleep." Kaz shrugged his shoulders, hoping it wasn't as big a thing as everyone had been making out. ᱿On a scale of one to ten, how messed up are we going to be?᱿

᱿Messed up is just another way of saying we'll have a lot of fun.᱿

Flo whistled and flipped her visor up. "That's a new one for me. Most magic users who get an incorporeal familiar put them in a book or whatever. Let them animate something that's normally inanimate."

"Well, Miaow wanted a body, not a book. She doesn't deserve to be treated as anything less than she is." Feeling very intensely about his snap-of-the-moment decision, Kaz was surprised to hear an excited whistling-chirp from Puff.

"Kaz even put a clause in his contract," Puff said, her tone showing how much she approved of it. "All terms that affect him also affect Miaow and vice versa."

It was exactly what Flo wanted to hear. Now she could make her observation without betraying her confidence with Livina. Dispelling her armor and arms again, she started walking toward the college cafeteria. "Doesn't that mean, if she gets a body, you'll be able to take control of that when she sleeps?"

"Uh…" Kaz wasn't sure what to say to that. ᱿Would that be right?᱿

Miaow couldn't hold back a case of giggles, the mental projection even overriding her purring. ᱿Sounds right. I promise you, if I ever get a second body to use, and I'm asleep, you can take it for a spin and stretch my claws. Could even be fun.᱿

᱿Yeah, okay. We'll make that call if and when we get to that point, okay?᱿ Keeping the rest of his thoughts on the matter to himself, Kaz managed not to shudder. He had no problem with Jaybird, and was kinda getting used to Puff, but he also had his own masculinity firmly in his mind. "I just spoke to her about it. She said it would be possible, but I think we should talk about it before doing anything crazy like that."

Kaz's definition of crazy gave everyone but him something to think on. Jaybird hadn't gotten any vibe of toxic masculinity from Kaz, thought they'd had the most experience with him so far.

"So, uh, where are we going?" Jaybird asked.

"Well, I might have skipped breakfast, so I'm going to the 'cafe to get something to eat. You two are welcome to come with me, or you can try to find one of the others who are giving tours of the college." Turning sharply down a side road, Flo was leading the way to the main food district of the college.

"I might have missed breakfast too." Jaybird said.

Kaz looked at his friend and reached out his hand to them again. "Same. What kind of food do they have?"

At first Jaybird was surprised when Kaz reached out to them, but the feel of his emotions—mostly stable and inquisitive—was welcome.

"Basically everything. We have students here from all over the world, so even Kaz could probably find some food from his home." Flo wasn't sure why Kaz snorted, but she decided to move on. "Personally? I like grabbing something warm for breakfast. My magic is normally pretty flashy and I burn a lot of calories working it."

Jaybird was just about to ask about needing to eat lots of food for magic when the smells hit them. Inhaling the aromas of dozens of different kinds of foods almost overwhelmed them completely. "Wow…"

Jumping off Jaybird's shoulder, Puff landed on the ground and resumed her harpy form. "That smells really good!"

The market was a mix of various places that sold anything from raw flesh to plant-only diet. Smells seemed to waft from all over into an olfactory cacophony of scents that would drag the students one way and then another as they saw everything that the market had to offer.

᱿Fish. Can you get me some fish? If they have sushi, get that. You'll like it, I promise!᱿ The purring had stopped in Kaz's head, replaced only by Miaow's focused words. ᱿Please?᱿

Sighing out loud, Kaz shook his head. ᱿You can eat as much fish as you want when I'm asleep, but I think I can find something for us both now.᱿ The moment he thought the words there was an intense purring filling his head and making it hard to hear.

Jaybird almost pulled their hand back from Kaz's. There was a rush of new sensations that ran the full gamut from excitement and happiness right to pleasure—though not physical. It took a moment for them to realize the emotions weren't Kaz's at all. "Did—did you just make Miaow happy?"

Turning his head, Kaz was a little surprised by the question, but not surprised enough to miss Flo's curiosity. "Yeah. I said I'd try to find something fishy for lunch. Why?"

"I can feel her emotions too. She really likes fish, huh?"

᱿Ooh! Jaybird's clever. Tell her she's clever!᱿ Miaow thought.

᱿Jaybird is a they, Miaow. They don't feel either male or female.᱿

᱿Huh.᱿ Miaow had to think about that long enough that Kaz was starting to get an odd look from Jaybird. ᱿Well, if that's what they want, that's what they get. Still, they're clever!᱿

"Are you okay, Kaz?" Jaybird only noticed Kaz seem to look all there about halfway through their question. "I asked if you're okay?"

"Huh? Yeah. Sorry. I was explaining pronouns to Miaow. She said to tell you you're clever." Kaz felt himself blush a little at giving the compliment. What Jaybird had come up with was clever, he even thought that.

"Thank you, Miaow." Jaybird did their best to not be affected by what they felt as Kaz's own spike of romantic love. Though, in their heart, they wouldn't really object too much to snuggling, but Jaybird figured a guy would want more than that. "Why don't we get some pizza? You could get an anchovy slice to make Miaow happy."

᱿I really like Jaybird. They have the best ideas!᱿

Kaz looked at Jaybird and realized they were both on the verge of laughter. Kaz could hear Miaow's words and Jaybird could feel the emotions behind them. "Pizza it is. Puff, do you have any preference?" Kaz asked.

Ruffling her wings in excitement, Puff let out a little chirping sound of excitement. "Anything with insects on it! My mom was really into corn, but I'm so sick of it."

Flo nodded toward a line of stalls that were all selling single slices of pizza. "If it comes on a pizza, the odds are one of them will be selling it. Come on and we can see what they have." She wasn't sure if they'd have insects, in fact she highly doubted they would, but was surprised when Puff raced up to one seller.

"This! This will do! They're sea bugs, but still bugs!" Puff was prancing from foot to foot in excitement. "Do you have one with the shells still on them?" she asked the startled woman running the wagon.

Leaning a little closer to Jaybird, Kaz said, "Maybe you want to get some clothing or a spell to make clothing for Puff?"

"Y-Yeah. I guess it's not so bad when she's just with us, but out in the open… Hey, Puff?" Jaybird wasn't surprised when their familiar spun around and raced over. "Do you know any way to make clothing? I just think others might be a little more comfortable if you wore a shirt or something."

Looking down at herself, Puff giggled and rolled her eyes. "Well, come to think of it, you're probably right. I've only hung around with other air spirits before, and they didn't care, but by Kaz's heart rate—he cares." She stuck her tongue out her beak at Kaz.

"He—You do?" Jaybird asked, turning to Kaz.

"A little. I kinda grew up around normal humans. American humans. I'm sorry, Puff, but I just can't help but blush a lot at seeing—well, at seeing all of you." Even now Kaz was fighting to keep his eyes on Puff's face.

Reaching out with a wing-arm, Puff brought two primary feathers up under Kaz's chin. She watched him blush even more at the touch. "I will, but only because it would physically hurt to see you this cute all the time. Hold on…"

Kaz tried to keep his eyes on Puff's, her feathers under his chin even helped, but when she started sprouting extra feathers all over—until they fully hid all her "rude bits"—he couldn't ignore it any longer. Her chest was still a little lop-sided, but there was no breast on display anymore—he didn't look low enough to notice if her penis was hidden too. "Th-Thanks."

Leaning forward and rising onto her claws a little, Puff pressed her beak to the side of Kaz's cheek in an imitation of a little kiss. "You're welcome. Now come help me convince this woman to put a handful of seafood shells onto a slice."

The silly attitude broke the tension the kiss had imparted on Kaz. He managed to laugh and walked toward the vendor with Puff.

᱿Those are fishy! Fishy enough to last me until later. You said I could eat fish tonight, right?᱿ The smell that reached Miaow—via Kaz's senses—had her mind dancing in excitement.

᱿Sure. I'll get you something on the way home.᱿ Kaz focused his attention on the slices of pizza. "Uh, excuse me? Do you have the shells of the shrimp somewhere? We'd pay extra for some of those."

"I don't have the shells. All the shrimp come pre-shelled and deveined. Some things I can get, but asking for the shrimp shells is somethin' new." The woman behind the cart was a little grumpy and curt.

The rest of the first day of orientation was spent exploring the school and getting a personal guided tour of each department from Flo. In all, it gave both Kaz and Jaybird a lot to think on and even more reading material to take home and explore. And, throughout it all, Kaz tried to keep Jaybird's hand in his. Every moment they broke contact he could see in an instant how much of a struggle things were for Jaybird.

It struck Kaz a little how odd it was to be holding someone's hand all the time, but he was completely focused on helping his new friend get through their day.

"Hold up," Jaybird said just before they were set to go their separate ways. "You won't have used Mager yet. Let me get you set up on that."

"Huh?" Kaz watched as Jaybird pulled their phone out. "What's Mager?" He pulled his out too, figuring it was going to be something they'd set up on his phone.

Leaning against Kaz to maintain contact with him, Jaybird opened up the app store and searched for Mager, then gave just the tiniest jab of magic into the device. "It's a social network for magic types. Don't worry about the family stuff, it will automatically pick up you're a college student and hide that."

Kaz watched as Jaybird installed the app, loaded it, and when it asked for any friend-codes, they took a picture of their own phone's screen (that had a QR code on it). "So, uh… Have you worked out what you want to study?"

"I'm not sure, but I think I like summoning. Elementals mostly. Demons, devils, and angels aren't my thing, but after meeting Puff, I think I'd like to learn more about her and her kin." Finishing setting up his phone, Jaybird passed it back to Kaz. "There you go. When you make your account, I'll get added as a friend right away."

Puff jumped out of Jaybird's hoodie's hood and onto their shoulder before letting out an excited tweet.

Reaching their hand up, Jaybird rubbed Puff's crest with a finger. "Yes, you."

"Well, I guess we have a year to figure it out, but I have an idea for what electives I want to take. Sigils seemed like a no-brainer—it would be handy no matter what I learn. The other one I want to sign up for is transmutation—Miaow said most of her magic revolves around that, so I think it would be a good way to reinforce that." Kaz looked at his phone and punched his name and phone number in. There was an odd tingle that ran through him as a series of patterns appeared on the screen, and then he was given his home page—with one friend.

It took Jaybird a moment to realize they weren't touching Kaz. His emotions still felt fresh and vibrant because they were away from others. "I should be getting home. Send me a message if you want to chat, okay?"

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

Kaz decided that before he could message Jaybird, he'd have to try to sort sort out his feelings for them. "You take care. And, Puff, take care of Jaybird for me?"

Snapping a wing up to her forehead in a salute, Puff leaned closer to Jaybird's neck and let out a happy cheep.

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Kaz drove home with a new sense of wonder. He almost had several accidents due to noticing so much more—like the young men playing basketball were all bouncing around themselves like there was low gravity, or the young minotaur couple walking along hand-in-hand. Life was far wilder than it had been at the start of the day.

He pulled into the parking space reserved for him at the sharehouse and let out a sigh of relief. ᱿I need to get more used to seeing strange stuff everywhere.᱿ He climbed out of his little car and stretched.

᱿Or you need to learn spells to make your car drive itself.᱿ Miaow could feel an edge of tiredness in Kaz and her excitement was palpable. Soon she would have hours of time to herself in a body—a real body. ᱿Have I told you how awesome you are in the last hour?᱿

Walking up to the front door, keys in hand, Kaz unlocked the door and entered. The sound of the living room—full of voices—fueled some excitement in him. ᱿I wonder how many are magical like me?᱿ Walking through the entryway, he felt a crush of disappointment as everyone in the house looked just the same as before.

᱿None, apparently,᱿ Miaow thought.

"Uh, hi, guys." As faces looked up and returned his greeting, Kaz felt alone. He realized he hadn't seen any of his housemates at the magic college. Walking toward his room, he froze as Darrell Cardenas approached him.

Walking with Kaz toward Kaz's bedroom, Darrell judged them far enough from the others to not be overheard. "Hey, uh, they're all talking about their pseudo-intellectual bullshit, but you don't seem that kind of person."

It wasn't an approach Kaz had expected, but it was one he could appreciate. "You're studying Comp Sci, right?"

"Yup. Certified nerd. What about you?" In Kaz Darrell experienced something he'd not with the others—someone who didn't immediately want to talk about what he was studying. It seemed only fair to ask him.

᱿Go on. Tell him you're studying magic. I want to see how he'll react.᱿ Miaow filled Kaz's head with purring laughter, if only so she could reduce what convenient lies Kaz could think about.

"Pure magic." Ignoring the laughter in his head getting louder, Kaz pushed on. "Arts. Don't tell the others and they'll probably never ask. I love working with my hands." It wasn't actually a lie—not really. "Gimme a sec to get rid of all this junk they gave me to read and we can head to the other living room to chat, if you want?"

"Cool. At this point I'd do anything to get away from that lot." Standing by, Darrell waited for Kaz to toss his bag inside and then walked with him to the rear living room. "I saw you got a computer. Play any games?"

"Only just got it for college. My aunt is basically giving me a scholarship, so figured I'd buy a few things I'd need. What about you? Playing any games?" Kaz had heard some friends in high school talk about video games, but it had never been his thing.

"Oh heck yes. I've been playing Overwatch all season trying to get to masters rank, but it's really brutal on my time schedule. Probably worse now. I main tank, so——" Darrell even knew he was going on a rant, but it was nice that Kaz actually asked and he felt so much more relaxed away from the bigger group. "Ugh, I'm rambling. Sorry."

Kaz thought about the easiest way to help reassure Darrell and have some fun in the process. "It's cool, man. Think I could give it a go?"

"Uh, sure, I guess. I have a second account I play on when I want to chill and kill noobs, you can take that for a spin if you want. Let me start it up." More relaxed now, Darrell led the way to his own room where it was mostly mess, but the area around his computer was spotless.

Spending the rest of the night unwinding and just talking with Darrell helped Kaz unwind after the weirdest day of his life. He sucked at the video game, but it was hilarious every time he and Darrell swapped places.

At last Kaz had to break up the fun. "I need to have an early one. Promised I'd meet someone early in the morning." He stood up from the game and let Darrell slip back into the seat. "Catch you tomorrow after everything?"

"Sure. Catchya."

Walking back to his room, Kaz ran into Caelyn—who'd been waiting suspiciously nearby his door. "Heya."

"You were keeping Darrell company, huh? He didn't seem to want to hang around the rest of us." Caelyn looked Kaz up and down, and for some reason found something different about him that she couldn't put her finger on.

Despite being tired, Kaz wanted to test what Darrell pondered. "Yeah. He wasn't doing so great. I forgot to ask you about what you were studying?"

Caelyn grinned and launched into a description of her law degree. She noticed Kaz smiling wider and wider as she went until she finally trailed off and asked, "What's so funny?"

"When Darrell tried to join you, were you all talking like that?" Kaz waited for Caelyn to nod sheepishly. "And you were all doing it without really listening, right?"

"Ah fuck. Yeah, I guess we got a bit worked up there. It's just exciting, you know? I mean, we're finally stepping out into the real world!" Caelyn couldn't work out why Kaz laughed, but she felt it safe to just laugh with him. "I'll see about trying to get a bit less shouty next time."

"Hey, it's not really your fault. Takes different types to make up the world, ya know?" Slipping in through his bedroom door, Kaz tried to smile but it turned into a yawn. "Ugh. I think I need to turn in. Don't sweat Darrell, we'll figure this place out so everyone can be comfortable."

"You're genuinely a nice guy, Kaz." As she said it, Caelyn was surprised at herself. She really looked at him, taking in his every detail as best she could, and found the Japanese heritage added a little spice to his looks. She filed him away in the maybe pile—she'd made a deal with herself she'd wait a week before looking to find someone to warm up her nights.

Unsure what to reply with, Kaz just said "Good night" and closed his door. ᱿I guess we do this in a moment? You ready?᱿

Miaow was almost to the point of vibrating in excitement—at least she would be if she wasn't just in his head. ᱿Are you kidding me? I am so pumped! Wait, all your housemates think you're going to sleep, right?᱿

᱿Yeah, so?᱿ Walking over to his bed, Kaz slipped out of his clothes and grabbed out a fresh pair of boxer shorts to sleep in.

᱿So that means I'll have to go out the window. No problem there. Hrmm, I'll have to get a new wardrobe. How much can I spend on clothes?᱿

"What? What's wrong with the—" Kaz had been so surprised, he'd spoken out loud. ᱿Just use some of my clothes.᱿ The purring giggles that filled his head a moment later told him he'd probably regret telling her that.

᱿I'll tell you what, I'll use your clothes if we can go shopping on the weekend.᱿

᱿Why are you so focused on this? Okay, okay. Whatever. We'll sort it out on the weekend. Have a good night, Miaow.᱿ Kaz wasn't exactly sure what he should do, so he just stretched out on the bed and closed his eyes. ᱿It's all yours. Take good care of me.᱿

The last thing in his mind as sleep closed in, was a soft purring that was pitched just right to help him sleep.

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Shifting a little, Miaow remained laying down just to soak in the bliss that came with having a body again. "He's just the most cute, sweet-hearted guy…" Even using his voice didn't distract her. Running her hands down his chest and to his hips, she squirmed in joy. "I just don't have the heart to tell him I don't need his clothes."

With Kaz's fatigue flowing from her body, Miaow rolled over and stood up, then reached for the window and opened it. It was a simple matter of slipping out of the shorts Kaz had put on before she let his magic well up inside her. Their magic, in truth. "For my first night of freedom, I think I will want to just relax. Partying can come later."

For just a moment the air around Miaow shimmered before Kaz's form shrank and grew fur. She luxuriated in returning back to her form she'd had before Makishi had bound her. It was strange to be sharing her body—well, his body—with Kaz. She'd expected to feel a little fatigue after a day spent with him in control, but she her body felt just as twitchy and excited as she felt herself after they'd changed—like her own energy had flooded in to fill and fuel it.

Stretching out her tail, Miaow looked back over her feline form and purred out aloud for the first time in far too long. "Purrfect."

Jumping up to the window, Miaow closed her eyes and let the scents of nature guide her—and that's when she smelled a squirrel.

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Waking slowly, luxuriantly, Kaz was drifting up from the best night's sleep he'd ever had. Not only did he feel well-rested, but he also felt like he'd had fun, too. The last bit was an odd mixture of contentment and an odd rumbling in the back of his head.

Rolling to his back on the bed, Kaz felt a cool breeze blowing through the window and over him. All of him. With the window open.

᱿Good morning. I forgot to put the shorts back on, sorry.᱿ Still purring up a storm, Miaow let her magic roam throughout the room. ᱿I can't thank you enough, Kazuma.᱿

"Just, uh, thank me by leaving me wearing pants next time. Do I want to know what you were up to?" The feel of magic in the room around him made Kaz's senses tingle, but it didn't feel bad. Picking up his boxer shorts from beside the bed, he put them on and stretched.

Closing the curtains for a little modesty—with her magic—Miaow coiled herself up in Kaz's head and set to doing some purring. ᱿Don't worry, no one saw you naked. I just turned your body into a cat body and had some fun.᱿

"Fun?" Kaz asked.

᱿Chased a squirrel, then a dog. Opened a portal to the spirit realm and invited a garappa to visit. You'll like him.᱿ It was her second test of Kaz's looseness. Miaow wanted to know how to handle him in a way that they could both have fun—so far he was passing with flying colors.

Along with the thought-words, an image flickered into being in Kaz's head. The garappa (or maybe it was all garappa, he wasn't sure) was a tall creature that looked like a lizard with long, spindly legs. "W-What's a garappa?"

Miaow giggle-purred. ᱿Why don't you go out and ask him?᱿

"Not before I have coffee." Grabbing up a towel and his toiletries, Kaz opened his bedroom door and stepped out. ᱿What was that magic you did in my room?᱿

᱿Clever. It was just something to keep prying eyes out and to make it a more lucky place. It is, after all, my home.᱿

᱿Can you teach me how to do it?᱿ Kaz found the nearest bathroom and found it empty.

After a shower and a continuing chat in his own head, Kaz was ready for a morning run that saw him make his way to a nearby coffee shop, purchase a cup of short black, and sip it contemplatively while listening to a mini lecture from Miaow.

᱿Controlling your magic is that easy. You hold it with your force of will and do with it what you please. Twisting it into shapes or writing rude words are optional but encouraged. Any questions?᱿

᱿Miaow, I don't even know where to start. You can still help me if I screw up again, right?᱿ Sipping the last of his coffee, Kaz leaned back and stretched. A glance at the clock said he still had an hour and a half to be back at college.

Purring at the adventurousness of his thoughts, Miaow replied, ᱿I can do that. We are a team now.᱿

The run back home was uneventful, and Kaz felt far more awake now he had coffee and exercise under his belt. He skipped the front door and walked around to the back yard of the share house. ᱿So how do we keep anyone from seeing what I'm doing?᱿

᱿Huh? Not unless they're already magic. Did you see anyone use magic up until yesterday?᱿

"Are you going to say hello?"

Kaz spun around at the voice and stared at the large pond in the back yard that hadn't been there a moment before, but he mostly stared at the large lizard-like man wearing a Hawaiian shirt and a large straw hat, sitting on one side of it with a fishing rod. "S-Sorry. Hello. My name's Kaz."

"Ah, you do have manners. Well, Kaz, my name is Eisaku." Reaching up a hand to tip his hat back so he could see, Eisaku blinked his nictitating membranes over his eyes. Next he extended his hand out to Kaz to shake.

Stepping forward, Kaz reached out his hand to Eisaku and, the moment they made contact, the garappa closed his long fingers tight around Kaz's wrist and pulled him forward.

The tiny little pond came rushing up to Kaz and with a splash he landed in it. Only, the water wasn't a tiny pond and he was in some kind of huge lake.

᱿Should I have mentioned garappa like playing tricks? He probably won't kill you, I made sure he was well-fed, but you are on your own unless he tries to kill you.᱿ It was time, Miaow guessed, for the test to begin.

With his grip on the yokai lost, Kaz tried to get his bearings in the water. Above him he could see light, so he kicked with his feet toward it.

One of Eisaku's hands closed around Kaz's ankle this time, and it pulled Kaz back down into the deep water. Squirming and shifting, Kaz looked down to see Eisaku grinning up at him—showing off rows of sharp teeth that probably better fit on a shark. ᱿He's going to eat me!᱿

᱿So,᱿ Miaow purred in Kaz's head, ᱿do something about it.᱿

Squirming in the water, Kaz felt his leg released. Looking down, though, he couldn't see Eisaku. With his lungs starting to burn, he thought back to Miaow's little lesson. She'd turned him into a cat for the night, so why couldn't he use magic to turn himself into something that could breathe water, he thought.

Focusing on the sensation he'd felt the previous day when he'd charged the bracelet, Kaz focused on a human-like figure that he knew could breathe in the water—and pushed.

Miaow hadn't expected Kaz to go quite as all-out as he did. Magic boiled in the water, but it was all focused on him. After a half second of that, she felt his flesh twist and change.

Kaz's legs were the first to change. He thought mer-people would have their legs turn into their tails, but his just shrank away to nothing before his butt literally shoved outward. His new tail took barely a moment to reach twice his normal height and sprout fins here and there along it.

The magic rushed up his body too, reshaping his form and augmenting his human lungs with a pair of large gills along his neck and halfway down his back. The burning in his lungs was replaced by pure relaxation as his body told him he was no longer running low on oxygen.

But he kept changing. Kaz's arms slimmed a little, his shoulders grew more petite, and where he'd had hips a moment ago seemed to grow more broad—but it was the swelling of his chest under his tshirt that was the most startling for him, but only because he couldn't see how much his facial features had softened.

᱿Kaz! You're so clever—and kinky. I didn't know you went in for being a girl!᱿

Miaow's laughter in Kaz's head made him blush furiously. His shorts were gone, but at least he had a shirt to cover himself. ᱿I just—I just panicked. I didn't mean to do this, but all I could think about was something that could breathe water and looked human. I guess The Little Mermaid was probably not the best choice.᱿

᱿No, silly. Sex doesn't really matter, I was just poking fun at you. You did it, though! You are alive and safe!᱿ Miaow's laughter softened and deepened into a purr. ᱿Oh, here's Eisaku.᱿

Swimming up before Kaz, Eisaku grinned wide and swirled around the human with an easy grace in the water. "Clever. A powerful form for the water and"—Eisaku's eyes leered downward to Kaz's chest—"a beautiful one."

"We can talk underwater?"

"Of course. The water is enchanted—filled with my magic." As he spoke, Eisaku reached toward Kaz with both hands.

Kaz could see what two parts of him the yokai was going to grab, and with a quick kick of his tail, shot upward through the water and away from the lecherous Eisaku.

The surface of the pond rushed toward him, and as Kaz broke through it and shot into the air, he quickly used his magic to undo the change in his body—and landed on the grass of his back yard. ᱿This is insane! How did I know to do that?᱿

᱿Body-instinct. Mermaids know how to breathe through their gills or lungs, they know how to swim, they even know how to jump out of the water—so you know that.᱿ Miaow tried to keep the smug from her mental tone, especially since it was a sensible question.

"Missing something, cutie pie—Oh." Leaning against the side of the pond that looked far too tiny for the volume of water under it, Eisaku's expression fell as he realized Kaz was male again. "Pity, I've never romanced a fish-girl before. Here."

Catching his shorts that Eisaku threw his way, Kaz felt a little self-conscious about putting them on—but at the same time realized that walking inside with no pants might cause a bit of a problem. "Why'd you do that?"

"Because you're not a girl anymore." Eisaku slipped out of the water and grabbed up his rod and hat again.

Kaz rolled his eyes. "No, I mean why'd you pull me into the water?"

"To see if you could swim."

"And if I hadn't?" Knowing he would dread the answer, Kaz asked anyway.

"If you'd drowned I woulda eaten ya. Good eating, humans." Casting his line, Eisaku crouched down at the water's edge.

Growling a little, Miaow wanted to make one thing clear. ᱿I wouldn't have let him, Kazuma.᱿

᱿Yeah, you said you wouldn't. I trust you, and you know why.᱿ Kaz contemplated Eisaku and what he should do about the yokai. "You can't do that to just anyone."

"I know that. What do you take me fore? If regular humans go missin', then them hunters come and I don't want that. Why do you think I'm fishing?" Tipping his hat back a moment to look at the effect of his words on Kaz, Eisaku grinned at him with all his pointy teeth. "I don't suppose you'd like to take another swim?"

Rolling his eyes, Kaz shook his head. "No I don't. And don't try to eat anyone—even magic users. Got it?"

"Oooh. That's a very forward thing to be telling a yokai." Setting his rod down, Eisaku straightened up and looked at Kaz, preparing himself for a repeat performance. "And who are you that you'd order me what to do or not do?"

᱿Tell him who your mother is.᱿

᱿What? Why will that help?᱿

᱿Every yokai knows your family, Kaz, and I'd wager he knows your family's greatest hunter.᱿

Letting his magic roll out and just take up room, Kaz took a step toward Eisaku. "I am the son of Makishi Shimizu."

Eyes widening, Eisaku fell to his spindly knees and bowed his head. "I-I had no idea!"

Kaz tried to focus on not having spoken his actual name—it had only been his mother's, after all. "No killing. Not here."

"O-Of course! Just fish! See! That's why I have my fishing pole!" Eisaku picked up his rod and waved it about, then realized there was a fish hanging from the line. "See! Fish!"

᱿Wow. You have power, Kaz, and a pair of balls so big they might not fit in the house. You might want to just grunt at him, turn, and go inside before he thinks to challenge you.᱿

᱿Yeah, way ahead of you. Just wanted to make sure he wouldn't eat anyone. How common is that?᱿ Kaz huffed his breath, turned, and walked back toward the house. "See that you only eat fish."

᱿Uh, really common. Chances are every yokai you meet would have eaten people at some point.᱿ As she thought it to him, Miaow knew she was stepping in a puddle she would not want to clean off her paws by licking.

Kaz tried not to falter as he walked in the back door of the house. ᱿You as well?᱿

᱿Me as well.᱿

The mental voice sounded so soft and, to Kaz, worried. ᱿Can you try to avoid eating people while in my body at least?᱿ He hadn't realized her purring had stopped until it started again.

᱿I'll try.᱿

Safely indoors, Kaz pondered if he'd be better off taking a shower or going straight to his bedroom to dry off. Despite his worry, the water of the magic pond had been clean and refreshing—when he wasn't absolutely terrified by its inhabitant.

Halfway down the hall to his bedroom, Kaz heard his name called.

"Hey, Kaz, you get caught by a sprinkler or something?" Darrell asked.

It was a perfect way out and Kaz was not above grabbing it. "Yeah. I was so lucky I didn't take my phone." Looking back at him, Kaz saw Darrell was wearing a tshirt and shorts while eating some kind of breakfast cereal. "I gotta go get ready. I'll see you later?"

Darrell thought Kaz looked a little too soaked for just a single spray, but then he figured everyone in the house was a little weird—so what if Kaz got himself good and soaked. "Sure!"

᱿You didn't lie at all. That was impressive. Is that going to be a thing?᱿ Curiosity might kill the cat, but not if she was safe in a magic-user's head. Miaow kept up her relaxing purr.

Back in his bedroom, Kaz shrugged his shoulders and slipped out of his running gear. "Does it need to be? Should it be?"

᱿You can get some extra karma by doing that, though it kinda drains away if you're an asshole about it. I don't think it's actually worth it.᱿ For a brief moment Miaow reflected on how quickly her language had adapted. Living inside an adult male's head was changing her in ways she hadn't expected.

"Yeah, it sounds like a real pain." Stripping off his shirt and shorts again, Kaz sat back on the bed and grabbed up his phone from his bedside table. "Is there a way I can protect my phone? I mean, if I had been carrying it earlier, it'd be dead now."

᱿No idea. Maybe ask Jaybird?᱿

"That's a good idea." Kaz woke his phone up and fired up the Mager app and found his one, solitary friend.

> Hey, Jaybird, sorry to bug you, but is there a way to do magic to protect phones?

> Uh, yeah. I'll show you when we meet up. When're you heading in?

> I'll be leaving as soon as I get dressed, but I'll have to grab something to eat on the way.

> I'll see you there, Kaz.

Putting his phone down, Kaz pulled out some clothing to put on. He figured casual was the best, so grabbed the lightest things he could find that wouldn't leave him freezing. Just as he pulled his boxer shorts on, however, his phone gave a beep.

Flipping the phone over from how it'd landed on the bed (so he could see the screen), Kaz laughed and picked it up. Accepting the new friend request got him into a chat with Puff.

> Did Jaybird get you a phone?

> Yup! I'll see you soon!

Feeling a bit more excited for the day ahead, Kaz got dressed, grabbed his backpack and shoved what he thought he'd need inside, then left his room and headed toward the front door.

"Kaz, right?" Abigail had only been introduced to Kaz once, and since she'd been the last to move in, she hadn't seen him much after. "Don't you know they called off the morning stuff today?"

᱿See! Not being able to lie would be horrible.᱿ Kaz turned his attention away from talking to the laughing feline in his head to the striking young woman talking to him. "Yeah, but I just wanted to go for a drive around town." He almost froze up, realizing that left an opening for her to ask to ride along. "There's a friend living here I wanted to catch up with."

Laughing all the louder in Kaz's head now, Miaow couldn't stop herself. ᱿You still didn't lie! You are going to drive around town and you are meeting a friend who lives here!᱿

"Oh." Abigail felt a small pang of regret she hadn't tried to make friends with Kaz the previous night. "Hey, you want to hang out later? Maybe bring your friend?" It was forward. Abigail's mother would have drowned her in a good Spanish lecture about letting the man do the chasing—but there was something about Kaz that sparked her interest.

"I'll ask them. Any time suit you? Wait, let's exchange numbers." Walking over to Abigail, Kaz pulled his phone out and quickly closed Mager and brought up his address book.

High school, for a short Hispanic girl who loved math, hadn't been at all kind to Abigail. To have a cute guy asking for her number—and giving her his—made butterflies jump around in her chest. She pulled her phone out and they quickly swapped digits. She had to look up into his eyes and almost lost her place in the conversation. "I—I guess I'll see you later?"

"Yeah. Bye, Abigail." Kaz slipped out the door before anyone else intercepted him. On his way to his car, he opened Mager again and sent a message to Jaybird.

> Might be a little late. Got caught up with a housemate.

As he climbed into the car his phone beeped with a reply.

> Don't sweat it.