Sekibanki slammed the empty cup down on the counter. "Gimme another."

The owner of the stand stared at the cup, and then the first two, before letting out a long sigh. "This isn't a bar, you know… While we do carry alcoholic drinks, I'd appreciate it if you at least ordered some lamprey…"

Sekibanki scowled at the sparrow. "Listen, birdie. I'm still a paying customer," she grumbled. "Me getting smashed won't destroy your little shack."

The intensity of Sekibanki's glare caused her to flinch. "...My policy does at least require you to buy something lamprey related, or else I can't continue serving you."

"...Fine. Gimme one of those grilled little bloodsuckers, and another drink."

The owner grinned, satisfied. "Coming right up!"

As she scurried over to the grill to get to cooking, Sekibanki groaned and slumped over, burying her head in her arms. This was certainly no way of dealing with an irritated mood, but she'd decided to give it a try-after all, with enough alcohol in her veins, all of her current thoughts would surely be replaced with nonsense. And after all, like Kagerou had always told her, there was nothing better than having a nice drink under the moonlight.

The mere thought of her friend caused her to groan again. "How'd that damn furry get so lucky…" she wondered. "One day, she's all lonely and hairy, and the next, she's got a girlfriend? Who also happens to be the other member of the Network? Effectively making me a third goddamn wheel for months to come?!"

She attempted to sit upright, but her head detached itself and remained in her arms. Once more, she groaned-although it was more of a frustrated snarl at this point-and stuck it back on. Nothing at all was going her way, was it?

Out of the corner of her eye, she watched the sparrow cooking the lamprey, rotating it slowly over the grill, beads of sweat forming on her forehead from the heat. It was summer, after all, and humid nights made for particularly tedious working conditions. "Guess the temperature still hasn't stopped those two from being all over each other…" Sekibanki thought to herself, chuckling. "Sheesh, I sure am bitter… Even though I should be happy for them… Dammit."

The effects of drinking so much clearly hadn't kicked in yet, since she was still considerably bothered by the situation. She'd never been much of a lightweight, after all-but suddenly, on this thought, someone seated themselves a few stools over.

She gave the other customer but a cursory glance at first. From the looks of it, she was a plainly dressed girl, her hair somewhat disheveled, and wore a worn countenance similar to that of her own. "Damn, same," she thought, dismissing her without a second thought.

Her attention then returned to the stand owner, who was hurrying back with a plate of lamprey in one hand and a glass of the drink in another. She seemed a little too enthusiastic to be serving the dish as she beamed while scooting it over the counter, cheering, "Order up!"

"Yeah, yeah, thanks man." When Sekibanki took a large gulp of the fourth drink before anything else, the owner's expression fell; she realized this girl most likely would not even touch her lamprey. Hiding her crushed state, she turned to the next customer. "Good evening, may I help you?"

This girl, however, was staring intently at Sekibanki as she downed a majority of the glass's content in a considerably low amount of gulps.

She narrowed her gaze, acknowledging the gawking, and slammed her cup back down.

"What?"

The girl did not reply, instead simply turning to the stand owner. "I'll have whatever she's having," she said, slumping over onto the counter herself.

"Coming right up…"

Now Sekibanki was the one staring in the girl's direction-she gave off a much more peculiar vibe than she had initially expected. Clearly, she was as down in the dumps as herself, but now her curiosity had been piqued as to why. So she called over, "What the hell's up with you?"

She shot back a glare that could rival one of her own. Sekibanki nearly lurched back in surprise.

"...What's it to you?"

"Geez, well, you sure didn't seem to mind getting up in my business by staring at me, so…"

The girl raised an eyebrow before turning away again, mumbling, "It's been a long day."

"Pfft, tell me about it," Sekibanki sighed, taking another sip of the drink. She held the glass up and inspected its contents long and hard; she was beginning to tire of its flavor, but could not tell whether or not she wanted to stop.

Her train of thought was cut off when, after a brief moment, she heard the girl's voice again. "Well, I mean, my friends, they've been causing me trouble for a while now, but today was really bad, like, REALLY bad, and now I'm super pissed at them because that's just how it goes, y'know-"

Sekibanki narrowed her gaze at the girl again, this time in confusion.

"-Y'see, my sister, her name is Benben, she's really pretty, and then there's our friend, Raiko, who's also super pretty, and you know, to be honest, I had a crush on her once, that was kinda awkward-"

"Woah, woah," Sekibanki interrupted. "Slow down a sec there. It's a figure of speech. Didn't ask for your life's story."

The girl's eyes widened, and she appeared hurt. Sekibanki then felt some regret; she hadn't meant to upset the poor thing. This was saying quite a bit considering she was a normally blunt person with little regard for hurt feelings. Maybe the way she looked-exhausted, strained, and desperate-evoked a pang of sympathy deep, deep within her.

"...Well, I mean…" she murmured, scratching her cheek. "...Just summarize it for me. I'm not good with long stories."

Obviously frustrated, the girl turned away yet again, crossing her arms and shaking her head slowly. "...Being a third wheel sucks."

"Order up!" The sparrow gave the plate of lamprey a zealous push towards her customer, and placed the drink meekly next to it. When the girl expressed her thanks and reached for her food first, it seemed to have made the stand owner's evening, and she clasped her hands together giddily.

Meanwhile, Sekibanki was completely awestruck. Her eyes remained glued to the girl in shock and disbelief. Saying that she was a third wheel as well automatically made her the most interesting person on the planet in her eyes. Finally, there was someone who could understand the extent of her anguish!

"Hey, weren't you just telling me how rude it was to stare?"

A snappy remark brought her back to her senses in an instant. The girl was now condescendingly smirking at her. Not breaking eye contact for a second, she proceeded to take a swig of the clear substance in the glass as well, slamming it down on the counter afterwards just as Sekibanki had done before. Now, in the midst of curiosity and inquiry, she was also even intimidated. Who on earth was this girl?

"So, you get the whole third wheel thing, don't you?" Sekibanki asked. "Because, believe it or not, I'm in the exact same boat right now."

The girl first appeared dumbfounded, but then lit up excitedly. "No way." she said, beginning to relax.

Sekibanki chuckled. "Yeah, pretty wild, huh? My two closest friends are a couple now, and it's been getting on my nerves…"

"I totally feel you, my sister and our friend have been all over each other, and they're the only people I really hang out with, and it's really testing my patience these days!"

"Damn, that's gotta suck!"

"Yeah, same for you!"

They both laughed together for the first time, and Sekibanki's face became strangely warm, although she couldn't ascertain whether that was due to the alcohol or something more. She could definitely get used to this girl's company, whoever she even was.

"Hey, what's your name, anyway?" the girl asked, intently leaning towards her, though she was stools away.

"Sekibanki. And you?"

The girl smiled again. "I'm Yatsuhashi, nice to meet you!"

For some odd reason, Sekibanki's heart began to beat faster.

"...And you know what annoys me more than anything else? The corny pet names!"

"Oh man, definitely! My buddy Kagerou calls her girlfriend 'Hime' all the time. She's literally always calling her 'princess'!"

"My sister is always calling Raiko something like 'honey bear' or 'sweetie pie' and it makes me wanna hurl!"

"What the hell? That's so sappy!"

"Yeah, I know!"

For what seemed like hours, the conversation between the two was lively and engaging, not faltering for a moment as they went back and forth telling each other all the things they despised most about seeing their only friends become couples. They shared experiences relating to the same subjects, and reveled in the fact that someone could fathom such a left out feeling at long, long last.

"Oh, holy shit, that reminds me, this one time…"

"Ahem."

Suddenly, someone interjected. They turned to the source of the sound and it was none other than the owner of the stand. She seemed less than pleased.

"I've told you three times already that we'd be closing soon, and closing time is now. It's not even late at night anymore, it's early in the morning."

The pair was speechless for a moment-but right as they looked at each other, they burst into fits of cackling laughter. They doubled over in their seats, undoubtedly intoxicated, hysterical after having bonded over so many drinks. The beverages (and one plate each of lamprey) had been paid for already, but they were, indeed, loitering. Somehow, such a thing was hilarious to them both.

The stand owner rolled her eyes. "Please leave. I'm shutting everything down for the night."

"Fine, fine!" Sekibanki gave in, hopping down from her stool. She wobbled unsteadily for a few moments, but Yatsuhashi, who was slightly more sober, grabbed hold of her arm. "Careful now," she giggled.

They were about to depart, but before they could, Sekibanki spun her head 180 degrees to shout back at the owner. "Thanks, birdie, for the, the uh… The lamprey! I mean, I only took one bite, but it sure beats that yakitori, let me tell you…"

As the two finally walked off, they could hear the owner as she gratefully stammered, "You're welcome!" Yet again, they burst out laughing. This was the most either of them had even laughed in ages.

Neither of them had the slightest idea where they were going, but they strolled-or rather, stumbled-in some general direction anyway. Sekibanki could at the very least tell that the human village was nearby by the presence of lights in the distance. Still, this meant that her and her new friend would soon part, which saddened her as she came to such a realization. A wistful expression swept over her face, and she fell strangely silent, which Yatsuhashi noticed immediately.

"Hey, hey, don't kill the vibe now, Seki! What's goin' on?" Yatsuhashi almost tripped herself as she said this, grabbing onto Sekibanki's arm again to keep herself up.

"I… I'm just having so much fun with you, and the night's ending, and… I don't want it to… At all..."

Yatsuhashi laughed aloud, but was alone in her cheer this time. "Ha, that's… That's so funny, especially since we've been making fun of drippy stuff all night!"

Sekibanki paused in her tracks, or at least attempted to, as she teetered over, losing balance fast. Fortunately, Yatsuhashi caught her, albeit in an especially awkward manner, with Sekibanki's arms around her shoulders. "H-Hey, Seki, you good?"

"...Yatsu, I gotta… I gotta tell ya a little something…" Sekibanki confessed. She gulped, watching as Yatsuhashi grew ever concerned, trying with all of her might to ignore the persistent pounding in her head. "I'm actually… A huge sucker for romance. I just never get the opportunity to be romantic."

Yatsuhashi's intent gaze did not waver within the first few seconds of this revelation. But, of course, as expected, she took it as a joke and began to laugh. Sekibanki rubbed her temples, sighing, "Yatsu, seriously…"

"Seki, that's… That's too funny… You..! You, being a romantic! After everything you said! That's… That's so…"

"Yatsu."

Sekibanki cut her off in a firm and stern voice. Yatsuhashi's laughter faded to uncomfortable silence in a mere second. In order to keep a sliver of a clear mind, Sekibanki then had to look away, as Yatsuhashi's expression was then the same as when she had first hurt her feelings that night.

"I mean… I don't know, I think I'm just… Bitter. Because I don't have what Kagerou and Wakasagi have," she further explained. "Like, I dunno if that's the case with you, but… I think I'm just… Lonely."

The silence continued for as long as a laughing fit would have.

"...Yeah, I… I have to admit… I'm pretty lonely too…"

Sekibanki looked her directly in the eyes again, relieved and hopeful. "Really?"

Yatsuhashi carefully nodded. "I mean, Benben and Raiko are kinda the only friends I have… And technically Benben doesn't really count because she's my sister, and now they're dating, and I dunno, maybe I want to feel like I'm special like that to someone too!"

"Yeah, exactly! My thoughts exactly. Exactly my thoughts…" Sekibanki trailed off, her mind fuzzy. Sleepiness and tipsiness were not a useful combination for trying to talk about feelings with someone at all, she realized. Nevertheless, she was determined to figure out what exactly it was she wanted to say to begin with.

Unfortunately, she had little time to contemplate, because Yatsuhashi burst into, not laughter this time, no, but tears.

"What the hell? C'mon, don't start crying…"

"You're right though!" she sniffled between her loud sobs. "I'm so glad there's someone who gets it, and I'm just, so happy, and, and..!"

As she wailed into Sekibanki's shoulder, tears streaming down her face and staining her red cape, the rokurokubi griped, "Christ, Yatsu, you could've at least warned me in advance you're the kind of drunk that starts crying like a baby at the end of the night…"

Yatsuhashi's sniffles came to a halt. This remark was enough to turn her tears into annoyance.

"Um, excuse me?" She scoffed. "You shouldn't be talking, Seki! You get all sappy! I mean, look at you!" She then imitated how Sekibanki staggered about, doing her best impression of her, "'Oh, Yatsu, I don't ever want this night to end, and I actually do like cheesy fluffy romance, please don't leave me, Yatsu, I don't want to be looonelyyy!'"

Now Sekibanki's temper was flaring up. Her headache was not having any of this, and she was already irked with Yatsuhashi for not taking her seriously. "Hey, shut up. At least... At least I didn't start crying, and at least I told the truth, and at least we both have the whole loneliness thing in common!"

"Why're you turning this into an argument, huh?" Yatsuhashi challenged, getting up close to Sekibanki's face.

"You're the one turning this into an argument, you… You… You..!"

"Go on! Say something!"

"You… You glorified koto gijinka!"

Yatsuhashi gasped loudly, stomping her feet. "Why, I never! I'm a tsukumogami! And you know what? At least I'M not a headless horseman without the horse!"

"That's so stupid! Is that the best comeback you have?!"

"Yeah! I'm gonna get everyone to start calling you 'no horse Seki' now! They'll make songs about you! All the human children will sing them in school!"

Sekibanki was reaching her limit. There was no way she could ever sort through her thoughts of irritation and thoughts of drowsiness and thoughts of keeping balance enough to find that one thought and process it carefully. Yatsuhashi was still yapping about horses, and her breath smelled just as terribly alcoholic as her own, and all she wanted was some quiet time to think. At this point, even attempting to think rationally was useless. All she could think to do was act without any prior thought.

"Yatsu, if I kiss you, will you shut the hell up?"

Yatsuhashi gasped again-this time, however, not out of offense, but embarrassment. Still, she went on taunting, not believing she would ever do such a thing. "Y-Yeah, sure I will! But I'd like to see you try! No horse Seki, no horse Seki-"

Then, at last, silence returned to the Youkai Trail.

Sekibanki had gripped onto Yatsuhashi's face with both hands, effectively pulling her into her own face, and messily locking lips with her. It was the most awkward of first kisses-both of them were not in their right minds and had no idea what to do. Still, Yatsuhashi was finally calmed by this. She soon found herself snaking her arms around Sekibanki's waist and kissing her again.

They parted, both of them blushing wildly. Sekibanki tried to pull her cape collar up over her face out of a sudden shyness. "I, um… I don't know why I did that. I just felt like it, I dunno. I'm sorry."

Yatsuhashi was speechless. Of course, this was leagues better than when she was arguing about things that made no sense at all, but Sekibanki was now ashamed and wanted some kind of response.

"Let's… Let's do it more."

"Huh?!"

Yatsuhashi was leaning in for seconds, and Sekibanki could not fathom exactly why-hadn't she been the more sober of the two?

"Look, you're drunk, I don't wanna do anything you might regret later…"

"Well, so're you, and you wanted this, right? I want this too!"

"...Well, yeah, I just… Didn't think we had any feelings for each other in common on top of everything else. And don't we barely know each other aside from the whole third wheel thing?"

Yatsuhashi tried to give her another kiss, but as before, it was clumsy and uncoordinated.

"Hey," she began, her words only barely slurring. "Y'do realize… It's better to at least be alone together, right?"

Sekibanki opened her mouth to protest, but realized that Yatsuhashi had a point. The two of them had so much in common in their feelings of isolation, but technically that meant that they were not as alone as they once thought. She was unsure if that thought made any sense, or if that way of thinking was an excuse for desperation, but no longer cared, deducing that acting before concentrating had brought about the most enjoyable results.

"...Yeah. You're right."

"See? I told you!" she giggled. That sweet smile of hers was enough to make Sekibanki's heart leap in her chest, urging her to keep kissing her for as long as she could.

And so she did, leaning in slowly and maneuvering her lips so that things did not feel as sloppy as before. She savored every last moment of finally having someone so close to her, both in experience and her arms' reach. From that moment onward, she indulged in every romantic thought once stubbornly suppressed.

When they parted again, Sekibanki muttered, "...I think I like you a lot, Yatsu."

Yatsuhashi smirked proudly. "I like you too. Looks like we really do have a lot in common."