Starting the day with kendo sparring wasn’t actually a bad idea. Besides a good morning exercise, it also served as Nara’s mood-lifter. Especially today, when Jongin wasn’t as hostile as usual.

“Ow,” Nara groaned as Jongin’s kendo stick hit the top of her head. But, with a bright smile, she quickly recovered and went back to take a kendo stance. “Once again!”

Jongin lazily lowered his kendo stick to the floor and used it to support his body. “Are you sure you don’t need to go to school?”

Instinctively, Nara darted her eyes towards the clock in her room. She gasped and dropped her kendo stick when she saw it’s already five minutes to eight. Snatching her bag, she dashed to the door. At the same time, Yona shouted from downstairs, “Hurry up! You’re going to be late, Nara!”

“I know!” Nara distractedly replied as she reached for her bicycle.

Yona followed her. “I can give you a lift to school, though.”

“It’s okay!”

Pedaling as hard as she could, Nara took off to school. However, after only a minute ride, a huge, hairy youkai blocked her way. He seemed like a super big boar standing on two feet, but without a snout. She couldn’t see his face because of his fur, but she could tell that instead of vicious, he’s more clueless and harmless. Even so, she couldn’t afford to be late because of him.

Nara sighed and started to focus, gathering the spiritual energy around her. “Jongin,” she called.

Summoning Jongin was gradually getting easier for her to do now. Then the thought crossed her mind. If she was able to control her spiritual energy, would she also be able to avoid from getting absorbed?

There’s only one way to know: trying it out herself in Jinushigami Shrine.

In less than a second, Jongin appeared before her, his face annoyed. “What again now? Aren’t you supposed to be in school?”

Smiling apologetically, Nara pointed at the large youkai in front of them. “I’m sorry, Jongin. Can you please do something about him? I’m going to be late if I search for another way and I don’t want to start a pointless fight with him, in case he doesn’t want to move from there.”

Jongin traced the direction of her pointed finger with his eyes and saw the youkai. Recognition flashed across his expression as he nodded in understanding. However, instead of approaching the youkai, Jongin lifted her from her bike and held her in his arms, causing the bike to fall.

“Hey! What are you doing?” Nara asked. She struggled to get him to put her down, but obviously, he was stronger than her.

Ignoring her, Jongin enveloped them both with his blue flames and leaped high towards the sky. He continued soaring in midair, heading to her school. Though it’s her second time flying with him, she’s still not used to it. It’s always embarrassing when a man embraced and carried her like a princess like that. Even if Jongin wasn’t actually a man.

“My bike!” Nara yelled as she realized she had left Yona’s bike lying on the ground.

Jongin groaned in irritation. “You’re so noisy. I’ll bring it to school. Is that fine with you?”

“O-okay then.” She couldn’t find any other excuses to persuade him to put her down, so she ended up agreeing. “But why are we flying? I was planning to have you distract him so I can get through.”

“Because it’s useless,” he said curtly.

“Why?”

“Trying to talk to him is like trying to talk to a wall. That guy is in the middle of his hibernation. He won’t wake up until the time to wake up. Moreover, flying is much faster.” Jongin then gradually descended and landed gently on the ground. “Look, we’re here already.”

Nara shifted her head to see that they were only a few steps away from school’s front gate. Jongin purposely chose a less crowded place to land, so that no one would realize that she suddenly appeared there when he put out his flames.

“Well then. I’m going back to retrieve your precious bike,” he said in a sarcastic tone.

“Wait, Jongin!” Nara stopped him right before he lit himself on fire. “Thank you for taking me here.”

Without replying, Jongin vanished along with the blue flames.

Nara couldn’t stop herself from smiling as she saw the spot where Jongin had been standing. He was being very nice today and she hoped it meant that he was starting to open up to her. She still hadn’t given up her intention to befriend him.

But the fact that Jongin had been hiding something from her made her uneasy.

Planning to head straight to Jinushigami Shrine after school, Nara hurried out of the class as soon as the bell rang only to be stopped by Minhyuk and Soomi when she reached the staircase.

“Nara, do you have plans for today?” Soomi asked. “Minhyuk is going to visit Tano Kami Shrine and he asked me to accompany him, but I have part-time job after this. Can you go with him instead?”

“I’m sorry, Minhyuk,” Nara said apologetically. She actually wanted to go with him, but she also wanted to test her ability to control her spiritual energy. The sooner she could master her spiritual energy containment, the sooner she could try to help Jinushigami clear his name. “I have something to do. I have to help my cousin with her job,” she lied.

 Minhyuk said with disappointment in his voice, “Don’t worry. I’m fine going alone. I just thought it would be fun to go with a friend.”

“I’ll go with you,” Baekhyun said suddenly from behind them, causing them to whip their head back towards him. “I have a business with the chief priest, anyway.”

In an instant, Minhyuk’s expression turned brighter, his eyes gleaming with excitement. “What? You know the chief priest? Awesome! Tell me more!”

Ignoring him, Baekhyun walked down the stairs. When he realized that Minhyuk didn’t follow him, he looked up in his direction. “You’re coming or not?”

“Wait for me!” Minhyuk immediately ran down the stairs to catch up with him.

After they disappeared from view, Soomi said in disbelief, “I didn’t expect him to know a shrine’s member, much less the chief priest himself. Or he’s just bluffing.”

“No, he’s telling the truth. I’ve been to the shrine with him.” She hastily added, “For students committee matter.”

Soomi folded her hands across her chest, her eyes judging Nara. “So you’ve become pretty chummy with him lately without my knowing.”

Nara rolled her eyes. “I told you it’s for students committee matter.”

Giggling, Soomi nudged Nara’s side with her elbow and went down the stairs. “I was joking. Come on, we should be going.”

They parted ways as they exited the school’s front door – Soomi walked straight to the front gate and Nara went to the bicycle parking lot. A wide smile formed on Nara’s lips when she caught sight of a particular bike leaning against the fence with a huge note hanging from its handle: Your bicycle is here, my dear master.

Though a second later, she hurriedly took the note and stuffed it inside her bag as she started sensing people’s stare. Then she rode her bike, heading towards the only bus stop in town.

It took about twenty minutes to reach the skirt of the town where the bus stop was. She was about to leave her bike under the nearby tree before entering Jejin Forest when she spotted a very familiar yellow umbrella leaning against it.

“Kasa-obake!” she yelled. “You’re the same Kasa-obake I know, right?”

“Kim Nara?” The Kasa-obake approached her to get a better view. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m going to visit Jinushigami Shrine. How about you, Kasa-o—” She stopped herself. “It’ll probably better if I just call you Kasa. What are you doing here, Kasa?”

Kasa’s one eye widened. “Do you have a death wish? Why are you going there again?”

Nara put her bike leaning against the tree where Kasa had been earlier and proceeded to the forest, Kasa following anxiously behind her.

“I want to try something out,” Nara finally answered after they entered the forest. “If I succeed, I might be able to do something for Jinushigami. Kasa, you know Jinushigami personally, right? How was he like?”

Kasa jumped excitedly and fell into step beside her. “Lord Jinushigami was the kindest god I’ve ever known! I’ve been one of his followers when he was still alive and I can see that he really loved all of his worshippers! Though, he’d never shared their offerings with us, youkai. But we can understand! He treasured their offerings so much that he never let us touch them.”

Nara frowned. “And you’re saying he’s nice? When he didn’t give you anything?”

“He gave us protection!” Kasa waved his hands dramatically as he raved. “For a weak youkai like me, that’s very important! No stronger youkai had been able to touch me as long as I’ve been his follower. How I miss those days! Now I have to constantly go into hiding to stay alive!”

Nara sympathized with Kasa’s situation and tried to think of a solution to help. “Well, I might not be able to do much, but you can always come to my house if you need help. You’re invited to my place anytime. I’ll tell my cousin to let you pass the barrier.”

“Thank you so much, Kim Nara!” Kasa exclaimed in joy. “What can I do for you in return? I’m only a low-class youkai, so I won’t be able to be of strength for you, but I can be your servant. Let’s do that thing! What do humans call it? Contract formation?”

“No!” Nara strongly rejected. “I don’t need a servant. Just be my friend. That’s more than enough for me.”

There’s a long silence after that as they walked side by side along the stone path to the shrine. Instead of eerie, the quietness was calming. The darkness at afternoon – the trees blocked the light from coming into the forest – wasn’t that spooky now that she was with a friend. Soon, the shrine came into view.

Kasa slowed his pace. “Kim Nara, I’m really thankful that you’re trying to do something for our Lord Jinushigami, but can you tell me why do you want to help him? I mean, you haven’t met him, right?”

“True.” Nara matched Kasa’s pace and they came to a halt a few meters away from the shrine. “At first, I just think that it’s so unfair for Jinushigami to be blamed for the mass murders that happened five hundred years ago. It’s obviously a human’s doing, why would he take the blame for it? He even ceased to exist because people stopped worshipping him. They also think the shrine is cursed since so many people died after visiting. Then after I heard your story, I found out that it’s actually The Lone Spirit’s fault. He’s wrongly accused and no one speaks up for him. I feel bad for him, so I want to help.”

“Wait, what? All this time they’ve been thinking it’s our Lord Jinushigami’s fault?” Although Kasa only had an eye and a mouth in his face, Nara could tell that he’s exceptionally angry. “How foolish! After all he had done for them humans! Do you know that he personally escorted each one of his worshippers out of the woods? And do you know that he ordered us, his followers, to watch them at town and report back to him if they encounter some trouble?”

Nara’s gaze landed on the deserted shrine. Sadness and pity filled her eyes at the sight of it. “It’s cruel, right? That’s why I want to do something for him. Moreover after I know he’s innocent.”

Kasa asked worriedly, “But what about The Lone Spirit?”

Sighing, Nara answered, “I’ll try to talk to him.”

She knew exactly who The Lone Spirit was. She could try to confront him about this and there’s a chance he would hear her out. But he was too unpredictable. He could be harmless one second, and hostile the next.

Honestly, Nara didn’t want to ruin the relationship the two of them had now, but for the sake of Jinushigami, she had to try. Besides, she wouldn’t want Jongin to stay as an evil spirit that killed people who visited the abandoned shrine and claimed the place as his when it wasn’t.

Jongin was kind. At least, that’s what she believed.

Nara started to the shrine and stopped when she saw Kasa stay still in his position, looking incredibly terrified, his one leg trembling. She knew that youkai, as well