Natsume first saw her on a cold autumn afternoon, resting beneath the branches of a tree. A book lay on her face; it looked worn and old, almost ancient in fact. She was dressed simply in jeans and a jacket to defend against the cold. Natsume hadn't meant to spy on her, he'd simply seen a strange figure in the corner of his eyes. She looked as though she were peacefully napping.
"What are you looking at, Natsume?" Nyanko-sensei trotted up casually, before he stopped and paused for a second. Natsume didn't notice this peculiar action as he responded.
"There's a girl. I don't think I've seen her in town before."
Though Natsume had only lived about a year in this small town, he'd come to know many people and he had never seen this girl, who seemed perfectly at peace in this forest full of yokai. Natsume even wondered if maybe he was wrong. Perhaps he had mistaken another yokai for a human?
"A human girl, hmm? Is she more important than peach buns?" Natsume sighed. The pair had been on their way to Nanatsuji to buy peach buns as a snack. When it came to these trips, Nyanko-sensei was always impatient and close-minded; he even insisted they take a shorter path through the forest every single time.
"Nyanko-sensei..." Natsume began disapprovingly before the other cut him off and started running off. "Nyanko-sensei...!"
Natsume's surprised yell wasn't very loud, but behind him he heard the sound of a book falling onto the ground. Turning back, he looked into the eyes of a girl who seemed more lost in thought than sleepy.
There was moment of silence while Natsume attempted to come up with something. The girl beat him to it.
"What a strange name for a cat." She said it simply and bluntly. Natsume nervously laughed.
"May I ask you a favor?" She continued. "I recently moved here, so I don't know my way out. Would you help me find the road?"
Natsume agreed. He remembered getting lost in these woods himself and feeling scared when it became darker and darker. Though this girl seemed calm, he thought anyone would feel scared to be lost in the dark.
While Natsume led the way (eventually, Nyanko-sensei came back with a huff of exasperation), he made small talk with her. He found that they were the same age, and she would be transferring into the same school. Natsume also found that unless he asked directly, the girl wouldn't say a single word. Her name was Kono Yuki.
Eventually, a call of greeting came from a passing yokai, who thanked him for some earlier request. Sneaking a glance at Kono to make sure he didn't freak her out, he found, a little to his disappointment, that she didn't notice the yokai. Also, to his relief though, he found her looking up at the sun through the leaves of the trees.
"The forest is quite beautiful." Kono murmured quietly, almost to herself. "Although..."
Kono shook her head and smiled a small smile.
Eventually, Natsume, Nyanko-sensei, and Kono made their way out of the forest. Kono thanked him for guiding her. Natsume modestly received her thanks and decided to recommend Nanatsuji to her. He thought she would become more accustomed to the town if she had an excuse to wander through it.
Then, as the two turned off in different directions, he thought he heard Kono murmur something quietly again.
"So you can see them too..."
Turning back, wondering if he had heard right, he found her already walking away, as if what he heard was all in his mind.
"Strange girl." Nyanko-sensei commented. He sat down on the road, gazing after Kono as well. "She plays a good act."
"Why would she ignore yokai?" Natsume asked, puzzled. But even as he said it, he could guess.
"That is just another reaction toward seeing yokai, Natsume." Nyanko-sensei flicked his paw at his ear. "Most likely, she's had some bad experiences."
Natsume wondered if there was anyone who didn't.
"...Though there is something off about her, I wouldn't mind it." Nyanko-sensei got to his feet again and started trotting off down the road. "People like her want to be left alone."
"..." Natsume looked away from the figure walking off, all alone. Though she had seemed calm the entire time, Natsume didn't think there was never a time when that girl had felt lonely or scared. That there must have been some time when she wanted to reach out, or be reached out to.
"Come on, Natsume! Peach buns! Peach buns!" Nyanko-sensei's happy tone broke into Natsume's thoughts. With some reluctance, he forced the issue from his mind and hurried after Nyanko-sensei.