It didn’t take us long to find Hana once Kira and I got off at Okaino station. There were almost no people on the platform, just a few of the elderly passengers we had seen on the train milling about. I wondered who had woken them for their stop. Elderly people seemed to have this preternatural ability to nap at a moment's notice but awake just in time to alight. I’d never understand it.

Hana was hard to miss. Even if there were more than just a few elderly folks one can’t easily ignore a frantically waving girl with two pink ponytails in a short black skirt. And who would want to, really? When we approached Hana she gave me a frown, looking between Kira and I.

Right, the uniform. She’s wondering where Kira got it. And why.

“What the hell Ryo?” She asked, then leaned in close, whispering in my ear: “Did you steal this from someone on the train? Are you trying to draw even more attention to us?”

“I didn’t steal it! Well, kind of. I borrowed it. We can return it later. It’s just um… Kira made a mess again. I’ll tell you later! Let’s just get out of here.” I noticed as I was speaking one of the elderly men had stopped to stare. I gave him a polite wave and a bow. He did not react.

Ok then buddy.

“Let’s go!” I repeated. This time Hana got on board.

We each took one of Kira’s hands leading her like a child so she wouldn't get lost. The cat girl stared wide eyed at the old station. It had large wooden archways and murals. We quickly got her through to the main waiting area and sat her down. Hana fished out a rainbow colored towel from her suitcase and threw it over Kira’s shoulders, hiding the uniform for the time being incase we ran into any workers. I went to the ticket desk in search of a real train attendant so that I could inquire about lockers for our suitcases. We would leave our belongings here for now, for we did not know how long we might stay yet or if we would need to find lodging.

Thankfully the process was simple and only cost a few hundred yen for the day. Hana ended up having a baseball cap to swap out with Kira’s train attendants cap but when it came to the bodice and skirt of the uniform the cat girl was so insistent we let her keep the reston, she loved all the buttons it seemed. Once we were out of the station I figured it wouldn't be a problem. And if it was, honestly, it was about the least of our problems. It was time to start thinking about why we had come here.

How to find the summoner. And what to do if and when we did.

The town of Okaino was about twice the size of Kitayashi. Compared to Tokyo, that wasn’t saying much, but after a year in the sticks it felt practically metropolitan. The town square, unto which we exited, was dominated by an old bronze statue of a deer. The statue was surrounded by a little green park. We walked towards it to get our bearings. Kira seemed drawn to it, and before we had taken a few steps she was sprinting away in her ill-fitting uniform.

“Keep your hat on!” Hana yelled after her and we both picked up the pace as we followed.

“It’s like having a damn child to take care of!,” Hana said breathlessly as we both started jogging into the park after her.

A full-grown, cat-eared, fluffy, immortal child.

We turned a corner in the park around a row of bushes and found her. Kira was on all fours, her teeth barred, her backside up in the air, displaying for all the world to see, her loaned pair of pink panties. I heard Hana slap her forehead. I tried not to look but stole a glance at her bright red behind. I regretted it as I felt hana slap me on the shoulder. Caught red-handed.

Right, focus.

I tore my gaze away to search for the cause of Kira’s aggressive stance. I found it immediately. In front of Kira was a large golden retriever. Unlike Kira, he did not seem particularly phased. He did not raise his droopy jowls and his tired brown eyes merely surveyed her impassively. His tail wagged lazily. His eyebrows wiggled.

“He’s so cute!” Hana exclaimed, stepping forward towards him.

Hissss!!!

Hana stopped in her tracks, turning, as I did, to the source of the sound. Kira. The cat spirit’s tail was free, whipping back and forth. Her teeth had extended into fangs, her yellow eyes were flashing and her iris’s had become slits. No. I have seen this before in Fenra. She is going to her cat form! We have to stop this! She’s going to attack!

“Hana, we have to separate them! Take the dog and get it away from here, I’ll stop Kira!”

There was no time even to see if Hana had heard or agreed to what I said. Kira had begun to pounce. I dove for her. I caught Kira mid jump and we tumbled into a nearby flowerbed. I landed on my back, my bad back. I groaned. Kira was atop me. Her eyes were slowly reverting back to normal and her fangs and claws were retracing. She looked down on me with concern. I was in a daze, pain lancing up my sides and lower back..

“Master! Master, are you okay!” Kira’s soft white hands were gripping my face. I smiled weakly up at her. So sweet… I opened my mouth to let her know I would be fine when,,,

“OW!” I cried. A new pain blossoming on my face.

Kira had started pinching and stretching my cheeks.

Ow! What the?

“Wake up! Wake up! Master, wake up!”

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“Fuck!” I cried, “I’m awake, damnit!” I pushed Kira up and off on me and she scrambled to her feet. I rubbed my cheeks, cursing a blue streak for a solid few seconds before looking up at the spirit. She stood, head bowed, silver hair dangling.

I saw her lower lip quiver. Shit, she’s about to cry.

“Oh jeez, look, I didn’t mean to yell at you just … that hurt. A lot. Come on, help me up.” Kira got to her feet and held out her hands, hoisting me to my own legs with surprising strength. I felt my back seize and bent over immediately. Kira, to her credit, this time reacted correctly… helping to support me as I put an arm around her shoulder. I stood back up and searched for Hana. She was kneeling down beside the retriever petting it, whispering gibberish into it and letting it lick her face.

“Master! It’s attacking-”

“No! Kira, no! That dog is not an enemy. It's just licking her, it's how they show… friendship.”

Kira wrinkled her nose and looked at me. “Ew.”

I raised an eyebrow. I guess cats are more into licking… themselves?

“Well in anycase, dogs like this aren’t the enemies. They are pets. Humans keep them and they live together.”

“Like.. master and I? Really?” Kira asked with wide eyes.

“Um, kind of, yeah. But you aren’t my … pet… that's kind of…”

“HEY! What are you two doing with my dog?!” A loud voice yelled. We all turned.

***

He was an elderly fellow, likely in his late sixties. But boy did he move fast. It only took him a few seconds between spotting us and waving his cane quite threateningly between the three of us while his dog barked and wagged his tail excitedly. I could see Kira getting more and more uncomfortable but to her credit she contained herself. Instead of attacking she merely stared figurative daggers at the canine, her hands hidden in her sleeves and her mouth clamped shut.

Hana did most of the talking. It was her specialty after all, customer service. She managed to mollify the old man with an explanation that we were tourists from Tokyo who had come here to take our very special “sister” (Kira) to see her grandparents. The idea of us all being siblings amused me. We were kind of one big messed up family, after all. Hana also explained, quite smartly, that we were very spiritual people and wanted to make an offering at the local shrine before meeting our grandma. Was there one nearby, she asked?

As a matter of fact, the old man said, looking me and Kira up and down before turning to Hana, there was. It was run by a friend of his.He seemed proud of the fact. A little too proud, but I let it go. He gave us directions and was on his way. Hana waved goodbye to the dog and Kira let out a small, defiant meow. The man turned to see me, hand clamped over Kira’s mouth and frowned. He kept going.

The cat spirit spluttered and growled when I released her.

“That man… and his pet! Both of them have bad energy, master!”

The man, maybe, but the dog? I had to disagree. I guess the cats versus dog divide runs deep. Even in the spirit world.

“Come on, let's get out of here. Quick thinking Hana. WIth the backstory. I think you won him over with that shrine bit too!” I said quickly. I wanted to get us moving. We had already wasted enough time in this park. The daylight hours were passing us by, and we weren’t here for pleasure.

“Yes..” Hana said thoughtfully, “Well old people tend to love other old people. I figured it might be the way to his heart. The shrine though was more than a ploy to get his sympathy. I figured if our thief hit your temple, he may well have done the same here if it was a stop on his list.”

Of course! I hadn’t even thought about where we would go next beyond getting here, but Hana was right. The first place we should look would be the spiritual center of the city!

“Ooh, is it a temple like masters? Maybe there will be another spirit! Let's go!” Kira tugged at Hana’s sleeves and mine. I chuckled. Nothing could stop this one. Or keep her down for long it seemed.

“Alright, which way did he say it was?” I asked.

***

While the old man’s directions had been simple, finding the shrine was not. We were quickly lost in the alleyways and backstreets of Okaino. Several times I had to duck under clotheslines or hop over puddles that had formed in the uneven pavement between the closely packed apartment buildings.

We emerged, finally, on a large boulevard that was covered in trees. I breathed a sigh of relief, I was becoming claustrophobic.

“There!” cried Kira, pointing across the road. Indeed, nestled beside two large trees was an old gate painted red with the tell-tale Kanji above it. I felt a sudden heat at my side, a burning sensation I yelped and both girls stared at me.

I reached into my pocket and realized it was the orb that Miku had given me. The silver ball was glowing, a blue light emanating from it. I noticed that the light was taking shape, on it were three Kanji that matched those on the temple. I swallowed. Hana whistled.

“Isn’t that something.”

“What is it!? Mistress Hana? Master?” Kira whirled between us.

I patted her head and pocketed the thing. “Nothing to worry about Kira, it just means we are on the right track. Lets go pay this place a visit”.

It turned out, that was easier said than done. First we knocked on the large wooden gates. When no-one answered we pulled on the oversized metal handles. They didn’t budge. We searched for a gap in the fence or shrubbery surrounding it and found none. Hana suggested we try to break in but that seemed wrong, especially in broad daylight. We’d already committed one crime today, albeit a minor one (snack and uniform pretty theft). I wasn’t keen on committing another. Even in service of facing down our enemy.

“Ok, we need to stop this.” I said finally. “We won’t break in and we won’t get anywhere by knocking all day. We need to try to find the owner. Besides, it's lunchtime. He may just be out at the moment.”

I heard a loud gurgling sound and turned to Kira. She was smiling weakly, clutching her stomach.

“I’m… I’m sorry master. You said lunch and my tummy just started speaking! I’m just so hungry!”

“Already!?” Hana and I cried out in unison.

Hana chuckled, then burst out into full fledged laughter. I did the same. Kira looked between us, smiling. When we were done I grabbed each girl by the shoulder and turned us away from the temple. In the distance I could see a few shops.

“Ok, let's go get lunch. But after that we need to get right back to searching!”

“Yay, lunch!” Kira jumped up in the air, flashing us once more as her train uniform skirt flipped up.

I leaned over to Hana and whispered:

“Let’s also try to buy her some pants. And maybe a few pairs of shirts. She will need spares.”