Myon pitched her arm back, chucking the ammo clip straight into Ichi's forehead. Ichi felt the clip knock off his headguard as he squinted his eyes in defense, and when he opened them, Myon stood in front of him. The most disgusted look on a face he had seen in his life wore on Myon's face. Myon's clothes changed too, although it was only an instant, she wore a long robe of flowing silver with pale gold threads woven throughout. Ichi was surprised to see the air literally crackling with electricity around her, as Myon grabbed Ichi's collar with one arm and lifted him without shaking. Ichi was suspended in the air, as if from a statue. Looking down at Myon's face, he remembered the tengu statue in the entryway to the housing complex. Myon called out in a low deep tone.
"Do you like my work clothes?"
Ichi nodded furiously.
"You're a very pretty girl, Myon, you look great, it doesn't make you look fat at all."
"Are you so eager to impress me that you're fine with dying? Or are you an idiot?"
Myon's growl tickled his ears as Ichi felt Myon shake him a little bit.
"Wasn't that long ago but I did choose to be an idiot once I remember and I don't think I've gone back on that point so right now I am reconsidering that life decision in light of recent events."
Ichi's words poured out like a waterfall. Like Myon shed her kendo armor, so did Ichi shed his words.
"Listen," Myon began to lower him, "I like you."
Ichi's feet touched the ground, as Myon lightly slapped his chest and shoulder in quick succession after she left go. Myon's face grew stern.
"You're cute. You're my cute. Understand?"
Ichi let out a long low groan of misunderstanding, shock, and partial awe that ended in a sigh of relief. If it were verbalized in word form, it might be something like:
"uhhhhhaghhhahhhhaaaaaa...."
Ichi felt like curling into a ball. Tanuki could change forms into birds right? He'd need special training before he could master his new escape technique he came up with in that instant, but looking at Myon he felt like he'd end up as fried chicken.
"...instead of fried tanuki." Ichi muttered under his breath.
Myon smiled and rubbed his back. Myon's hand traveled to Ichi's lower back, where she felt paper with her fingers.
"You brought the shikigami Grandpa gave you?"
"Yep. I have a feeling I'll need two by the time this is over with."
Myon folded her legs down as she sat on her calves, her feet peeking out behind her butt.
"You look tired, want to lay down?"
Ichi half collapsed his head into Myon's lap. Ichi didn't plan it that way. Myon guided his head there. In truth, Myon had this in mind all along. Myon is adept in wind, healing, seals, sigils, runes, and lightning magic. Myon used a little wind to guide his body to the ground, but Ichi would never know that she did that in that moment for the rest of his life.
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"Is this okay?" Ichi half-croaked out in panic.
Myon didn't respond as she began stroking his hair. Pulling out a seal from one of her voluminous sleeves with one hand, she tore off Ichi's kendo breastplate and shirt throwing it to the side and slapped the slim paper rectangle on the center of his chest.
Ichi's eyelids grew heavy. His whole body relaxed.
"Goodnight, tanuki boy."
The last thing Ichi heard was Myon's giggle.
The sun set. The full moon rose as clouds obscured parts of the sky, crossing the moon lazily as Ichi awoke.
Above him, he could see Myon's breasts and hear her light breathing. She was asleep. Half-crawling he rolled out of her lap, his muscles sore, wondering where his shirt was as he looked down at his chest. There, paper looked glued to his chest. Complex squiggles and shapes were carved over the surface. By instinct, his hand went to tear it off, but Myon's hand lightly grasped his.
"No." Myon said.
Ichi caught her smile and breasts in his vision, and stood up, yawning.
Myon rose too, from a seated position she did it with her legs strength alone, not even using her hand for balance. Ichi noticed that her clothes were back to normal, a simple white robe.
Ichi gestured to his chest, pointing at the seal. Myon understood he was asking a question.
"It's a seal. Seals away decay. There's a lot more involved in it than that, but for now, you should know that it's much more useful than that shikigami Grandpa gave you. It works all the time, instead of being a trump card you can only use once. Don't take it off."
Ichi looked down at the seal, sighing and rubbing his head, he stumbled over to the door.
"Wait-!" Myon yelled out, as Ichi opened the door to the dojo.
The moonlight poured down on the courtyard. Ichi's eyes met another girl's right away. Under the roof of a nearby buildings, Syon sat with her legs folded under her. Under her was wood and framing of the building, giving her the appearance of floating against the white paper door behind her. Ichi heard Myon letting out a long sigh behind him.
The distance between them under the sky reminded him of how far away Myon was when she went to the weapons cabinet in the dojo. That felt like it was a minute ago, as he noticed the clothes the girl was wearing. Silver-white robe, like the moon, with grey lacing and tighter sleeves. Instead of long and flowing like Myon's, Syon's robe looked a size bigger than a bathrobe. Ichi got a tight stomach and his back shivered as Syon stared into his eyes.
Myon grabbed his shoulder from behind, wrenching him back into the dojo. Throwing her arm around his back, she pulled him close and whispered quick and stern into his ear.
"Last boss," Myon pointed towards Syon who sat across the courtyard, watching them. Do not- do not do anything that you think is a good idea! You're an idiot, anything you think is going to be a stupid idea! Whatever she wants, do that. Rules. Follow. Rules."