Part 1.
He had said he could do it.
He had said he remembered the way back, but he did not. It had been a plain lie. To be more exact, he had just fooled himself.
"Why?! Why did I affirm that?!" Ren mumbled to himself, regretting the choices he made.
He was now on an unidentified street near the shrine he had just visited. He might have passed here with the group, but his memory was not helping him.
He was lost.
Realizing he failed to force something out of his brain, this lost child sought someone to ask for information. He kept wandering around the area, examining it for anything that could be of help. In the end, Ren only walked in circles and found no one.
The only thing contrasting from the gray constructions was a simple playground. However, no one was there: neither children nor adults.
Since Ren did not find what he was looking for, he sat on a bench that seemed older than him in the playground, finally stopping to rest a bit. Even with his high vigor, he had walked a lot, and his legs were tired.
He heavily sighed in order to sweep away his weariness.
"I'm tired of walking..." Ren muttered as he looked up to the sky. "I could call Kuriko at any moment, but..."
With melancholy in his eyes, he began to think about methods to leave that situation.
(I think I'll just throw away my pride and do that.)
After bragging (?) so much, it would be painful to admit that he was wrong.
But, perhaps, abandoning his pride would be the best choice. Sometimes, one must make harsh decisions to leave drastic situations.
Just then, out of nothing, a solemn voice reached Ren and pulled him out of his predicament.
"Are you lost...?"
Surprised, Ren looked in the direction of the voice. He noticed that a little girl was behind the bench, close enough to cling to his back with one step.
"Whoa!?"
The child's skin tone was so white that it looked pale. The wind swayed her silver-colored hair, resulting in a beautiful sight.
She wore a dark purple dress that had many ruffles. Ren found it a bit out of place, mainly because the dress reached her ankles. Anyway, it was far from ugly.
"Are you lost?" She repeated, with no intonation in her voice whatsoever.
"Y-yeah... Could you help me?"
The lack of facial expression on the little girl's face only served to improve the strangeness air she emitted.
"Yes, I can help you."
"Oh, so do you know—"
"I think I know where you ought to go," the girl interrupted Ren mid-sentence and did not seem to mind. "Although I am not sure..."
"Uh, I actually have to—"
"It is your school, right?" She interrupted Ren, yet again.
He furrowed his eyebrows in dissatisfaction. It was hard not to get mad after being interrupted twice in a row.
"How did you know?"
"I did not. I just assumed."
"Based on what?"
"Your clothes."
Ren let out an ah, of course...
He was wearing his school uniform, which had the name and the school's badge. He had forgotten that.
Perhaps because of this strange mood.
"What you said surely made sense, but at the same time, it doesn't."
"Why?"
"Well... What if I was looking for my way home?"
"But you were not," she smugly stated, although she was still expressionless. It was as if she had already known, despite the fact she said she had guessed. Ren wondered if she was just playing with him.
"Um... Can you tell me the way for my school then?"
"Of course. I am here to help you."
With a short demonstration, the girl told Ren the right path. He listened to her explanation with attention. It was not far. Ren would probably have stumbled across his school if he had kept rummaging through the area, it would take time, though.
When he was about to leave the place, he asked, "By the way, what's your name?"
"Huh? Why should I say my name to a stranger?" The silver-haired girl retorted, tilting her head to the side.
Hearing that response, Ren opened his eyes wide.
"Wa-wasn't expecting that. Anyway, thank you."
Pretending that nothing happened, he left the playground. He briefly looked back and saw that the girl had disappeared from there.
"She must've run away or something like that."
He finally made it to his school and took his bike.
Part 2.
Ren had finally taken his bike that he had left at school thanks to a strange little girl who informed him of his school's location.
Ren was now heading home, dangerously driving at a fast pace. He began to wonder as he dodged some cars back and forth, occasionally being honked by the drivers.
(If I come home this late, Kuriko will be mad, I should buy something for her.)
She would be mad, for sure, but she would not be as much if she had a chocolate bar in her hands.
Ren veered his way and went to the nearest convenience store. He bought a chocolate bar with the money he had. It was rather expensive for a simple candy, and he would have probably found it cheaper in another place, but he had no time for that.
While heading back to his bike, Ren saw a dark alley a bit far ahead. In it, a group of three men that looked like delinquents sat in a circle formation. He saw nothing wrong with that and went on.
But it was then that Ren caught a glimpse of something in the middle of those men.
It was a living being. Even far from there, Ren could see it clearly. A dog, twitching its legs in a hurtful manner.
Their cheerful laughter as they poked the injured animal with a stick gave more evidence than any word.
A flame ignited within Ren. He felt something that he could not ignore. Smoothly, Ren left his backpack and the shopping bag next to his bike and ran.
"Hey," he fearlessly called as he entered the dark alley.
The men instantly looked with chagrin in Ren's direction.
"Who are you?" One of the men yelled at Ren. He had hair that made him look like a punk and a name tag that showed "BARK" attached to his jacket.
Ren did not answer.
The man, Bark, got up, angry, and walked towards Ren. As if intimidating, he brought his face oddly close to Ren.
"Are you deaf!? I asked who are you. And also, what do you want?" A smell of alcohol and incense...? attacked Ren's nose, making him slightly uncomfortable. "You got nothin' to do with us. Right? So get out of here before you end like that mutt over there!"
The flame within Ren grew brighter after this.
As if embodying his fury, Ren slowly took an attack stance and thrust his right fist on Bark's chin. Bark was distracted, so Ren could easily land the blow, causing the man to step back and fall to the ground.
"What the!?" The two other men quickly got up and threateningly looked at Ren. They were not expecting an attack coming out of the blue.
One of them had a name tag that said "STRIKER," the other had one that spelled "HAMMER."
"Shit, what was that!?" Bark tried to get up, but apparently, he did not have the strength to move his legs. "What are you waitin'!? Crush this brat!"
As soon he yelled, the two other delinquents rushed towards Ren.
First, it was Hammer, who threw his merciless fist to Ren's face. And the other, Striker, following his friend, tried to grab Ren's back to suppress his movements.
One might not be able to escape such a combination, Ren, however, had a little fight experience.
Ren easily dodged Hammers's punch by dashing to the side. They had come at a straight line, so when Ren got out of the way, Hammer's fist directly hit the face of someone that was not intending to.
"What are you doin'!?" Striker shouted as he held his bloody nose after the impact.
"Sorry..." Hammer, who had his punch redirected, tried to apologize.
After dodging those attacks, Ren briefly stepped back—he was in a three versus one situation, total disadvantage, it would not be easy to win.
"Oh, now you are screwed!" Affirmed Bark, who had just gotten up, with his punk hair considerably ruined.
Part 3.
Ren was now in a terrible situation, but why did that happen?
To be honest, not even he knew why he was fighting.
Sure, he had wanted to do something about the abused animal, but he did not need to do it himself. It would be better if he had just called the police and let them do their job.
But for some reason, Ren chose the thorny path—judgment by his own hands.
It was as if someone else was inducing him.
Observing the situation, one would have said that Ren was on the wrong side here. He might even agree that he was wrong.
But either way, he had to put an end to this.
Part 4.
They stared at each other.
Ren had a defensive stance. He could not afford any foolish moves and go offensive. His only option was waiting for them to attack to then try to counter-attack.
Hammer and Striker dashed once more.
"Get him!"
"Tch!" Ren clicked his tongue.
They came with their fists raised and attempted a simultaneous punch. Their movement was clumsy. Ren managed to dodge by moving his body slightly. After missing the blow, they almost fell to the ground. That was how bad their balance was.
Ren could not let that opening pass.
Ren directed his right foot to push Hammer's ankle. Losing his support, Hammer fell to the ground pathetically. Moreover, he reflexively sought something to grab on. His hand caught Striker's jacket. He could not stop gravity, so he acted like a domino piece and hurled them both to the ground.
Ren got shocked at how vulnerable they were, but he could not let his guard down. He gazed at the only enemy standing at the moment.
Bark seemed so angry that one of his veins might pop out at any moment. However, he did not attack. He must have been prudent enough to realize Ren's skills.
Ren could not withdraw. Finally going on the offensive, he kicked off the ground, scattering dust and advancing towards his opponent.
He aimed for a full blow— to knock his enemy unconscious as soon as possible.
Bark got surprised at Ren's speed, and his confusion delayed his reaction time.
Ren shot his fist with all the might he had in the man's gut. In a moment, Bark blocked the attack, crossing his arms, he negated some damage, but he could not stop the impact from pushing him a little.
"Arghhhhh?! You little shit!!"
Ren could not give up. He went for another attack.
This time, Bark was on guard, so Ren needed to be careful. He threw his fist, but the man with ruined punk hair knew what to do.
If he dodged Ren's attack, it would be simple to make him vulnerable and finish him off. If Bark managed to do that, it would be an easy win for his group.
However, a tense pain ran down his stomach when Bark moved his body to dodge. When he realized what had happened, Ren had already jumped back after thrusting a powerful kick at him.
"Ghwa!?"
The moment Ren saw Bark moving, he stopped his fist momentum and adjusted his stance, using the force to kick and retreat rapidly.
Forcefully changing his posture in the middle of an attack left him in an unfavorable position, so the blow had not been perfect. Regardless, it did some damage.
"Heh," Ren grinned. "You sure are better than those two."
Bark put his hand on his belly for a moment, spittle left his mouth, and the smell of incense got stronger. But he was still capable of fighting.
"Y'know, I'd be happy if you gave up."
The other men were getting up.
Ren sighed and prepared a stance for another attack.
Taking advantage of Bark's daziness, Ren, with fierce impetus, punched Bark in various locations, finishing him with a jab.
Bark fell on the ground like rotten fruit. Ren brought his hand to his head and slowly swept his hair backward. He looked behind and saw that the other men had just gotten up.
"One down. Two left!" He provoked, looking down on the remaining men, making them furious.
Hammer, who had gotten up first, jumped at Ren. There was no strategy, no skill: he purely wanted to beat this brat.
"Aahhh! Curse you, brat!"
Ren blocked. He then created space before going to a blatant headbutt. The impact incapacitated Hammer.
"Now one...!"
Striker spat out, "Yo-you're dead!"
Legitimately scared, he took a short knife out of his pocket.
"A-a knife? Come on!" Ren grumbled.
"Shu-shut up! You're the one actin' like a hero," the man's voice was trembling as much as his hand.
Ren looked at him with a threatening look. That made Striker even more anxious. But ignoring the bad feeling, he attacked Ren mercilessly.
It was a short blade, but still, a knife is a knife. Ren could not block it with his body, and dodging would be tricky.
Striker attacked, swinging the blade horizontally and vertically.
Even one attack could lead Ren to his defeat.
Fortunately for him, Striker's mental estate was not in the ideal conditions. Ren managed to avoid the cutting attacks just by reading the trajectory of the attacker's arm and going for the opposite side.
Losing his patience and getting consumed by anger, Striker stiffened his expression.
"How can you not get hit!? The man screamed. "Die already!"
"I-I refuse!" Ren said as he struggled. "Why don't you give up then!?"
Ren continued focusing on avoiding the attacks, but even so, he was being pushed back slowly. Sooner or later, he would be backed into a wall.
He had to do something.
He had to react.
But how?
When he was almost reaching the alley's dead end, Striker launched a piercing attack at Ren, aiming for the center of his chest.
(I have to take action!)
Ren was scared, of course.
A blade was a blade.
He had only one chance. He would never know if he would succeed if he did not try.
As the blade of death approached, Ren launched his hand and grabbed Striker's wrist, stopping the knife from reaching him by hair's length.
Then, he quickly rotated as he leaned with his back almost in contact with Striker's chest.
"You are going down!"
With a quick motion, Ren lifted his hip, taking Striker's body off the ground and pushing forward the arm he was holding. Ren was able to throw his foe over his shoulders using the Striker's own weight.
The knife slipped from Striker's hands, almost stabbing Ren's foot.
"Ahaaa... Ahaa," Ren panted, wiping the sweat from his forehead with his hand.
His heartbeats were unnaturally fast, so fast he thought his heart would jump out from his mouth.
Striker, unlike the others, was not unconscious, but it seemed he did not intend to fight any further.
Realizing the danger was gone, Ren set his exhaustion aside and quickly made his way to the injured animal.
"Whoa... you are pretty beaten up."
He could hear it breathing hard.
Ren cautiously picked up the dog and held it in his arms as if it were a baby. The moment he lifted it, he saw something. It was a book, a very thick one, with a leather cover.
(Strange, it was right beside this dog, but I hadn't seen it.) He thought while he picked up the book, too. (Anyway, it should belong to the same person.)
He called for an ambulance to the men and headed to his bike as if nothing had happened.
Now that he thought about it, what would he do with those?
He had no way to know who the owner of both was.
There was no collar on the dog, so did it even have an owner?
As he put the book in his backpack and held the dog on his arm, he began riding his bike with one hand.
Part 5.
Arriving home, Ren immediately left his bike and quickly went to his apartment, the animal in his hands and backpack on his shoulders.
Ren abruptly opened the door. Kuriko, who carefreely watched TV, got stunned by the sudden sound.
"O-Onii-chan!? What are you doing?"
"Uh, you see." Instead of explaining, Ren lifted his arms, showing the wounded dog.
Catching sight of that, Kuriko understood right away. She complained, "Again? Doing this back at home was a thing, but animals are prohibited here, you know."
"I know that. That's why I came running in the halls!"
"Well, I heard some loud footsteps. I didn't think it was yours." She shrugged, "Still, we can't keep it here. Do you know to whom it belongs?"
"I found her on the streets, so I don't know if she has an owner."
"Well, that's bad."
"Yes," Ren nodded. "Ah, this reminds me... Here, this is for you."
Ren tossed the shopping bag with the chocolate bar within.
Kuriko caught it with her hand and looked inside, curious, "What's this? Ah, thank you!" She added after seeing what was within.
"I had some money left, and I thought, 'why not?' Take it as a gift," Ren said, puffing out his chest proudly. Though he had ulterior reasons, he was happy by seeing his little sister happy. However, his expression crumbled right after. "Wait, you're already eating?!"
"Of course—" Kuriko confirmed.
"Don't talk while eating! It's not as cute as you think it is."
"Maybe to you..." With a gulping sound, she swallowed the part she was eating. "Some time ago, I heard that some boys think that girls eating are cute, especially if they dirt their face with the food."
"Well, probably people like that do exist. But..." Ren sighed and gave up on continuing on that matter. "I have to take care of this little dog. She's all dirty and wounded. I'll clean her."
"I'll see if someone within my contacts knows it. But I don't think I'll be much help, though. I haven't gotten the phone numbers of all my classmates yet."
Ignoring the "yet" part, Ren nodded and continued his path to the bathroom.
He picked one of his towels hanging on the door of his bedroom. He hesitated a bit about using it on an animal, but his concerns were trivial compared to the dog's state.
So Ren began cleaning.
He first turned on the shower and proceeded to wash the body, being cautious about the ears and eyes. The amazed dog did not react and allowed Ren to do whatever he wanted.
Ren had neither soap nor shampoo for dogs, so he used human shampoo instead. After rubbing all of the dog's body, he removed the shampoo bubbles with water and rubbed a little more.
All that action must have awakened its life force.
"Oh, you opened your eyes. Are you feeling okay?"
Ren received no response.
He picked up the towel and carefully dried the dog.
"It's done!"
It demonstrated no reaction, perhaps because of the unfamiliar environment. Ren was excited nonetheless.
"I'd better give you some food. You look hungry."
It may have been only Ren's impression, but the moment he said "food," the dog's ears stiffened.
Ren left the bathroom; the kitchen was his next destination. But Kuriko's voice rang out, stopping his pace.
"Onii-chan! I found one person who might help us!"
Ren hurried to where Kuriko was, displaying a bright smile.
"Who is it?" He immediately asked.
"Ahn, Yukihira-senpai and Miyamoto-senpai."
"Ha?"
Ren wondered when did Kuriko get their phone numbers. But he let it pass due to the situation.
"Uhm, apparently they live together... They asked me if you could take the dog to their place."
"It's good for me. But where do they live?"
"Let's see... It's quite far from here. I'll suggest them to meet you in that square they showed us."
"Okay, I'll leave it to you. I'll be heading there now."
"Great. Ah, Onii-chan, after handing the dog, could you please pass in that shrine we went to?"
"Why?"
"I left my notebook there."
"Your notebook... How?"
"I don't know either. But please, bring it to me."
"Sure."
With the conversation finished, he picked the still dazed dog and headed to his bike again. Ren completely forgot about feeding the hungry animal.
Ren quickly reached his destination. It was not so far from where he lived. Ren stopped at a wooden bench at the local center, waiting patiently.
There were plenty of people in the place, doing all sorts of activities.
Fortunately, Ren did not wait for long enough to feel uncomfortable. He could see two girls walking in his direction.
One of them waved at him with a wide smile. The other held a cage in front of her waist.
"Hello, Suzuki!" Yukihira Ayumi greeted Ren with her middle and index finger doing a vertical movement around her head.
Beside her, Miyamoto Hana bowed and said, "Greetings."
"Hello, you two," Ren brought his hand to his head and scratched it. "Sorry for making you come here."
"Hehe," Hana chuckled. "That's not a problem, Suzuki-san."
"Suzuki, I have already told you, haven't I? There is no need for you to be sorry for us about anything. After all—"
"Yes, yes. You don't need to repeat that sentence," Ren retorted. "But, I'm thankful. Guilt would have overwhelmed me if I couldn't find a place for this one here."
The two girls looked at the state of the animal in Ren's arms and could not help but grimace. Ren also frowned, as if he knew what they were thinking.
"It was in a worse situation before... But it seems better now."
"I see..." Hana struggled not to downcast her eyes at that painful sight. "Suzuki-san, we know people who might find its owner or even take care of it if needed. You can leave it to us."
Saying this, Hana brought the cage she was holding closer to him. She was suggesting that Ren placed the dog in there.
Despite looking reluctant, Ren positioned the small animal inside the cage.
"Suzuki, you seem worried. Try to relax."
"I know, it's just... Forget it," he said, avoiding further conversation. He got up from the wooden bench and continued, "Kuriko asked me to do something for her, so I gotta go. Thanks again for your help."
"Anytime."
"Yup."
Ren crouched and got at the cage's height, looking at the helpless dog inside it. He waved and smiled.
After that, he got on his bicycle and went to the shrine over the mountain.
Part 6.
It actually took longer than he had expected. Due to his fish memory, Ren had to take many unnecessary detours to get to the temple. In any event, when he arrived, he secured his bike with a chain in a pole and hastily climbed up the stairs.
Thanking that he did not have any problems with his legs, golden fish Ren, below the torii gate, took a subtle step and entered the shrine grounds.
(Coming to think of it, Kuriko didn't tell me where her notebook is. Will I have to search all over this area?)
Ren had just arrived, and he was already complaining. He would have continued if something had not grasped his attention.
It started with an unnatural movement of the tall grass that did not follow the wind direction. When Ren was not expecting, from there, a creature hopped out, pursuing a colorful butterfly.
Wild animals would not be unusual given the nature predominance and lack of human presence, but it was different.
It was different.
The animal that suddenly appeared from the bushes was a beautiful white snow fox with flashy black lines on its sides.
The albino fox stopped going after the butterfly. Instead, it observed Ren, puzzled.
Before even noticing, Ren had glued his vision to the strange fox.
He blinked a few times and rubbed his eyes, but by the time he looked once more, the animal was gone.
"...Am I getting crazy? Have my illusion finally taken over my mind...?"
It would be weird if it had really seen a hallucination. Ren would have to see a therapist after this.
He shrugged and set aside such thoughts.
But not following his expectations, he heard a voice.
"I've been pondering for a while... Can you see me?"
By the time Ren perceived it, the white snow fox had already circled him.
The voice was elegant and passed a feeling of respect. It was like a humble lumberjack who lived on a snowy mountain.
"Was I wrong?"
Ren briefly jumped back in reflex.
"Uh... Is this some type of prank?" Ren analyzed the ambient, searching for something that could imitate a voice. However, he found nothing.
"There's no one nearby other than us, so I guess you are talking to me...?"
It was remarkable saying that the animal did not even move its mouth. Strangely enough, Ren heard the voice like it was inside his head.
He displayed a difficult-to-explain expression.
"Wh-what are you?"
"Oh, so you can really see me after all, hahaha!" The fox laughed (?). "What a pleasant surprise to see a human with such abilities in this region."
"Yo-you didn't answer me, what are you...?"
Almost falling to the ground, an irrational feeling invaded his mind. It was more instinctual, like when one gets scared by seeing a wild bear or wolf.
This time was—a fox,
"Oh, excuse me, I got a little excited," the white fox looked down and shook its head in disapproval. "To begin with, my name is Haiji. I'm a wandering spirit—or ghost."
"G-ghost!?"
This time, Ren truly fell to the ground.
He distanced himself pushing his body against the ground using both legs.
"Hm... I guess that's the typical reaction. Though, don't be so terrified, I am no harm to you."
Ren stayed on guard for a couple of seconds before noticing no aggressive reaction. So he calmed himself with a deep breath. Finally, he became calm enough to speak, despite being doubtful.
"He-hello."
"Oh, are you fine now? That's great."
"Y-yes, I'm okay."
"Let me start again. My name is Haiji. I'm a wandering spirit."
The wandering spirit lowered his head like a formal bow.
"My-my name is Suzuki Ren."
"Huh, Ren-dono."
"Um, Haiji-san, was it? Can I ask you a question?"
"Go ahead."
"You're a spirit or a ghost?"
"Isn't it the same thing?"
"Th-then, why can I see you?"
"What do you mean...?"
Haiji answered Ren's question with a question of his own.
"Uh, how can I explain it to you...? My grandfather is a priest, and I often visited him when I was a child. And, uh, by being so near a shrine, a place filled by spirits, for so long, I eventually started sensing their presence. At least, this is what they told me. Either way, I knew that spirits were there, but I never truly saw them. It's the first time I can see, hear and even touch one. That's why I got scared."
Ren reached his hands to Haiji's white snow fur. He could feel the softness in it as he stroked continuously.
"That's quite a far-fetched explanation... But I understood that you are not unfamiliar to the idea of spirits." Haiji seemed to like Ren's caress because he simply allowed him to continue. "You're already lucky. Seeing spirits is way more extraordinary."
𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘐'𝘮 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵, he finished after a brief pause.
"Hah? Different?"
"Well, I got nothing better to do, and it's been a while since I spoke to a human, so I'll explain it to you."
Ren let his hand go of the fur as Haiji walked a bit ahead. Ren followed him to the remains of the shrine.
"Take a seat. It will take time."
Despite what Haiji said, there was no place to sit. Ren had to content himself with an uncomfortable boulder.
"First, Ren-dono, answer my question."
"What is it?"
"How much do you know about spirits?"
"Not much. I only know that they do exist and that some are good and some are bad."
"You're not completely wrong..." Haiji said ironically. "So, first things first, there are many of them: human form ghosts, evil spirits, bestial spirits—like me—and so on.
"Those all are really different? Aren't they all spirits?"
"They're all spirits, correct. But, every spirit has its own behavior and personality. Let's take, for example, human ghosts, the group your kind knows well. They don't wish to be seen, and they're neither good nor evil. As you may know, human form ghosts are usually souls that couldn't ascend, or even, descend."
"I understand..." Ren blatantly lied. He understood almost nothing. He scratched his head, trying to gather all of his thoughts.
"Now, in contrast, the bestial spirits are almost completely different. They wish to be seen. That includes me, of course."
"You wish to be seen... Why? I can't think of a plausible reason."
"Simple. We like to be pat," Haiji said proudly. As if he had achieved his life goal.
"..."
"Haha! I'm just kidding! Well, it wasn't a lie, though."
"Okay, I got it! I'll do it!"
Again, Ren began to pat Haiji.
"To be honest, I don't know why. Perhaps it's cultural? We were seen as gods a long time ago. But there are also human spirits that wish to be seen, so I don't think it's just that."
"Uh, I don't really get it, but if that was the case, wasn't I supposed to see one of you at least once?"
"You probably just had misfortune. A lot of misfortune, since shrines and temples are our favorite places to hang out."
Upon that assertion, Ren furrowed his eyebrows, stopped patting Haijii, and crossed his legs, pensive.
"Hey, if you like temples and shrines, why are you the only one here?"
"It's obvious, isn't it? There is no temple or shrine here, only a husk. I just come here once in a while because I'm friends with the stubborn guardian."
"I see."
"Anyway, this leaves the evil spirits," Haiji said. "They are, in most cases, spirits who got corrupted. There are exceptions, obviously. Some had been created as evil spirits from the beginning, producing consciousness on their own."
"So evil spirits can be normal spirits that got corrupted... it's like a virus."
"Well, calling it a virus may be oversimplifying things. But I think you can put it in that way if it makes it easier for you to understand."
"Then—"
Ren was about to say something, but a sudden loud bell sound interrupted him.
"Hm...?"
It was coming from Ren's pocket. He looked to see that it was his cellphone. He picked it up and saw someone calling him. The letters displayed on the screen showed "Kuriko."
He forgot the reason he had come to this place.
"Oh."
Haiji tilted his head to the side in confusion.
"Is something the matter, Ren-dono?"
"Uh, actually I..."
Ren got up and answered the phone call. Instantly, a shout blasted his ear.
"Onii-chan!? Where are you!? It's been fifty minutes since you left! What have you been doing in this time!? Just handing a dog and searching for a notebook can't take this long!"
Ren heard Kuriko's voice from the cellphone. She was howling with an angry tone.
He muted the call and said to the confused fox, "Haiji-san, I'm glad I had this conversation with you. I learned lots of things. But I haven't noticed the time, and it's getting late. My little sister just called me complaining about that."
It was still noon, Ren had left about three P.M., it was now four P.M., and he hadn't even had lunch.
"Ah, you have to go...?" Haiji sadly said.
"Yeah. I wish I could chat with you a little more."
Ren had one thing he had not done yet. He must find Kuriko's notebook. Ren hurriedly searched for it in the area, and even Haiji helped him. Thanks to the help, he found it quickly.
"Haiji-san, tomorrow I'll surely come here again."
Hearing that, Haiji happily waved his tail back and forth.
Ren was uncertain, but a thin smile seemed to have formed on his mouth. It was an animal, rather hard to describe.
"I'll be waiting."
Ren rushed to the stairs like a late worker.