"It was rather… frustrating, because I was torn on what to do. On one hand, I didn't want to leave you alone, and on the other… well… I was worried that he'd get hurt. Then again, I also knew he'd be inclined to protect me over himself if I did go with him. It was… so incredibly frustrating."


"You're… leaving the village to do what exactly?"

The way he fidgeted and seemed hesitant to answer had set off Kagami's alarm bells like nothing before. It was obviously linked to the uneasy air that had begun to affect even their remote village, she had no doubt of it, but she wondered if that was all it was.

"… It's complicated?" he tried, a halfhearted grin on his lips, ruefully sighing when her glare made it clear he wasn't getting away with a vague answer.

"There're are some rumors I want to confirm as well as a debt I need to repay to a human that helped me the last time I was out of the village… Sorry, I know you don't like it when I leave… I don't either, but…"

Kagami sighed, shaking her head. "What am I going to do with you, you stupid reckless fox…"

He only grinned in response.

She reasoned that she could go with him. It would be a first, but as she had proven herself capable of fighting several times before, he couldn't exactly stop her.

Except… Following Nishiki would mean leaving Kinu behind, because Kagami would rather throw herself off a cliff than bring their daughter into possible danger.

In the end, she resigned herself to thinking about it more another day.

No one would blame her for taking her time with a difficult decision, after all.