"We're going the right way, right Shiko?"

Despite having traveled some distance, Sayori had yet to see any evidence that they were getting close to their next destination.

"Shiko?"

Sayori turned her weary gaze towards her childhood friend. His eyes were still glued to the one of the phones he had acquired not too long ago.

"Shiko?"

She waved her hands in front of his face, but no matter how fast she waved them or how close she had them to his face, Shujinkou did not respond.

Ever since he got the phones, his mind has done nothing but produce what felt like an infinite amount of questions.

Who were those guys at the abandoned village? Why were they wearing the same uniform as the men he narrowly avoided the night he found Sayori. Why was a robot of theirs going on a rampage? Was it really okay to let Natsuki leave on her own? Where'd that teapot that saved them come from? What was up with these phon-?

Something soft and fluffy suddenly brushed against his face, breaking Shujinkou out of his inquisitive trance.

"Sayori, you know that tickles," he chuckled, lightly moving her tail aside.

Despite his jovial response, Sayori still looked at her friend with worry.

"Shiko, you've been staring at that phone for hours…" she pointed out.

"What? It hasn't been that long…" Shujinkou replied as he scratched her red right cheek.

"If you want to know what's on them so bad, why don't you just turn it on again and see what's on it?"

Shujinkou continued to scratch his right cheek. Of course he considered that option, however…

"I don't know, Sayori. Did you see how advance their tech was? What if these phones have a way of tracking an active phone?" Shujinkou proposed.

"I guess that's true…" Sayori accepted. "And you did say that there were strange apps on it… So how come you're still carrying them now then?"

"I figured I let Gus take a look of them. Maybe he could tell us whether they're safe to use or not."

"But why though? I don't get why you would even take those in the first place."

Shujinkou thought about the previous owner of the devices and how their attire perfectly matched what the men he saw the night he met Sayori wore.

"Because if those guys really work with the guys I saw the night I met you, then maybe they have some information about why they were after you," Shujinkou explained.

"I still don't get it myself," Sayori looked down as she brought her necklace up to her face. "There isn't really anything special about me for someone to try and capture me, unless they were after Mooey and my necklace."

The sparkling blue crystal that hung around Sayori's neck was definitely something that would capture anyone's eye. It wasn't because of its natural beauty or potential monetary value, there was a mystique to it that peaks intrigue.

I always wondered whether they were after Sayori or her necklace. But for all I know, they were after both.

Shujinkou scratched his right cheek. If they were able to get information from the phone, would it provide them with directions to Sayori's home?

After all, with how things are now, it's not like the places monsters live are public knowledge.

…

"Are we there yet?" Sayori whined.

"I honestly have no idea," Shujinkou answered with a yawn. "It's not like the map is a GPS telling us how much further we need to walk."

The young man felt a strong urge to take another look at the map, but he was also afraid to pull it out again. The last time he laid eyes on it was after they escaped from the strange armored men. He was looking for a path to get around them, but instead, his eyes were drawn to another cat shape mark that appeared before him.

His heart sunk when he saw that mark and he had truly began to wonder whether he would be lead around by the nose for the rest of his journey.

If it wasn't for a few important reasons, that would make me consider giving up…

The two continued walking, their spirits dwindling with each step.

"It feels like we've been walking for hours…" Sayori complained.

Shujinkou didn't know for sure whether or not that was hyperbole or not; all that he knew was that he was as tired of walking as Sayori was.

The only positive he could find in their current circumstances was that the night sky was as beautiful as ever.

"Let's just keep going a little further," Shujinkou suggested. "If we don't find anything soon then we'll make camp for the night."

"Hmm…"

Without saying another word, Sayori closed her eyes and raised her nose towards the sky.

Shujinkou scratched his right cheek as he watched his friend take a few whiffs. An excited look soon crossed her face as she opened her eyes. "We're close to somewhere!"

"Really?"

"Yeah! This way!"

Sayori grabbed Shujinkou's hand and took off running. In no time at all, the two ran out of the forest and found themselves in a large, open clearing. Sayori then stopped, bringing the two to a screeching halt in front of waist high fence.

"There!"

Sayori pointed ahead. In the distance, Shujinkou could make out what looked like a pretty large village.

"Wow. Guess it really was just a little farther…" he mumbled in amazement.

"That's gotta be the new place the map was leading us, right?" Sayori queried.

"Looks like it," Shujinkou confirmed.

"Yay!" she cheered. "They have to have something to eat there!"

"Wait, Sayori…"

As much as he didn't want to rain on his friend's parade, especially when she was practically drooling, Shujinkou needed a moment to think.

He didn't know why, but something about the village caused alarms to go off in his head. Perhaps it was highly likely Mali led him here. Going somewhere Mali wanted him to go was scary enough, doubly when he had no idea why she would want him to come here.

But there was something else that bothered him: the fence. It had to serve as a border to mark the village's territory; do they need someone's permission to pass it?

Even if someone needed permission, nothing about the fence could keep anyone out. Someone could easily vault over it due to it being so short. Not only that, but each wooden post was connected by two long lines of rope, which weren't very sturdy. They could easily be moved up and down with little effort.

There was also the possibility that it could be used to keep something in like wildlife. However, even that possibility seemed unlikely.

If there's one thing I've learned from being around Althea for so long is that even if wildlife was trained not to pass this line, nothing would stop them if sent into a frenzy.

Shujinkou scratched his right cheek. Everything he thought of only served to give him reason not to approach the village, at least not at the moment.

"Maybe we should make camp for tonight and check out the village when it's light," Shujinkou proposed. "Sayori?"

Shujinkou looked to his left. He was surprised to find that Sayori was no longer standing next to him.

"Shiko, what are you waiting for?!"

A completely dumbfound look landed on Shujinkou's face the moment he found Sayori already halfway to the village.

"Maybe I'm just overly cautious…" he chuckled.

The young man vaulted over the fence and ran towards Sayori. As he closed the gap between them, he noticed a shadow quickly move towards her.

"Sayori, look out!" he yelled.

But his warning was too late. The shadowy figure leaped towards her and pinned Sayori to the ground.

"Sayori!"

Shujinkou quickly dig into his pocket and pulled out Imajitekku.

"Let's g-!"

Before he could form the weapon of his weapon in his mind, Imajitekku was sent flying out of his hand by what felt like a foot. Stunned by the loss of his only means of defense, Shujinkou was powerless to stop whatever lifted into the air and slammed him into the ground.

What's going on? What's hitting us?

Shujinkou looked up. Imajitekku was resting by someone's feet. The stranger, cloaked by the dark of night, picked up his weapon and approached him.

As the moonlight illuminated the clearing, Shujinkou could finally get a clear look at mysterious person.

Standing in front of him was a young man with messy platinum blonde hair. Looking at him sent shivers down Shujinkou's spine. His eyes were filled with nothing but contempt and the discolored patch of skin that surrounded them made it his gaze even more unnerving.

The only thing that allowed Shujinkou to break away from his stare was what lied on top of the stranger's head. Protruding from his head were cat ears.

Looking down, Shujinkou noticed a tail waving behind his legs.

He's like Natsuki. He's a Neko!

Quickly looking around, Shujinkou soon discovered that the people who attacked and were currently restraining them were Nekos as well.

Shifting his attention back to the man in front of him, Shujinkou timidly asked, "Who are you?"

"The name's Daitan, human," he coldly answered. "I'm captain of the local security force."

"Security force?"

Shujinkou could feel himself breaking into a cold sweat as he realized what could possibly happen to them.

"A group of individuals who's sole purpose is to neutralize threats to the village."

Shujinkou could only gulp. The word 'neutralize' and Daitan's glare together bore far more horrifying connotations in regards to his and Sayori's health than he thought.

But the terror didn't stop there. Shujinkou was soon caught off guard by what Daitan said to his subordinates.

"Come on; we're taking them to the Queen!" he directed.

Queen?

Shujinkou shuddered at the thought of meeting anyone with the title of queen under his current predicament. If she was anything like Daitan…

Then Mali might have delayed the inevitable… Or… She led us here knowing something like this would happen!

Even without knowledge of her intentions, this outcome truly confirmed that he was stuck in a lose-lose situation. Despite that realization, Shujinkou's only regret right now was that he dragged Sayori into joining him on his prisoner march towards and through the village.

The village itself was rather surprising. Despite how late it was, there was no sign of life. No one else were on the streets and none of the buildings were lit up.

Did something happen to this place too?

It was then when Shujinkou noticed something from the corner of his eye. He was brief, but he was sure that he saw some movement from one of the windows. From another window, he was confident that he saw ears and an eye filled with curiosity.

An emergency curfew maybe? For us?

But before he could ponder that hypothesis, he was soon stopped in front of a building. Compared to the others, it was decorated in a way to emphasize its importance.

Literally beaming with how much more important it is compared to the other places. This has to be where the Queen is.

Forced to take another step closer, Shujinkou could feel an overwhelming presence coming from within, it's force nearly crushing him under its weight.

The last time I felt something like this was from Mali. Forget being like Daitan, if she's anything like her then…

Just thinking about that possibility sent shivers down Shujinkou's spine. As he was forced inside, the pressure he felt before grew and grew.

Looking ahead, he could see a throne. On the throne was a normal cat with light brown fur.

It's napping…

Shujinkou continued to stare ahead. He wasn't no longer scared, but he wasn't relieved either. He honestly didn't know what he felt at that moment.

"…Is that the Queen's Pet?" Sayori questioned.

"No…" Daitan sighed. "That is our queen…"

With a red face, Daitan kneeled in front of the sleeping creature. It looked like the standard form of respect, but there was a notable difference: his expression. Despite all attempts to keep a straight face, it was clear that Daitan felt nothing but embarrassment as he softly pleaded, "Please wake up, your Majesty; you're needed for judgment."

Shujinkou and Sayori were sure that there had to be some context they were missing, but even then, they couldn't help but feel pity for their captor.

The cat slowly opened its eyes and let out a surprisingly sweet mew.

Shujinkou felt something strange from the creature as it slowly stood up. Despite being an ordinary cat, its green eyes were sharp and attentive. It also had a scar over its left eye, something he found particularly surprising.

However, that unknown feeling vanished as quickly as it appeared the moment the cat turned over and started rubbing its own stomach.

"Your Majesty, please, we have convicts in your presence…" Daitan begged.

The cat looked up. With a dispassionate look, it let out a large meow.

"Queen Miki…"

The cat rolled back over and stood up straight.

"Cut me some slack, Dai-chan, I just woke up, nya." the cat scolded.

"IT TALKED?!" Shujinkou exclaimed.

"Of course I talked."

Shujinkou immediately looked down. Somehow the cat was now standing by his feet.

"You don't think a queen can rule without being able to speak did nya?" Miki questioned.

"But… you're a cat…" Shujinkou mumbled.

Soon after that response, Shujinkou noticed a pair of paws dangle in front of his eyes.

"Traveling with a kitsune and yet shocked by a talking cat..."

Shujinkou looked up, shocked by the fact the cat was now resting on top of his head.

"Your suspension of disbelief is specific weird, nya," she noted.

"Sorry, it's just… I never seen a normal cat talk before," Shujinkou explained.

"Ah, to be young again. You'll need to open your mind to every possibility if nya'll want to survive in this world, especially nyow," the Queen advised.

"O-Okay."

Though he still found the situation a little strange, Shujinkou had to concede to the feline's advice. Who knew what other strange things he may come across?

"Queen Miki, can you please not make yourself comfortable on the convict's head again?" Daitan requested.

A completely dissatisfied look fell on Miki's face. She was looking at Daitan like she was a child denied something by her parent. "No, need to be so stuffy, Dai-chan. What possible crime could this cute and innocent looking guy have committed, nya?"

"We found this human and his accomplice loitering around the edge of our territory," Daitan accused.

Miki looked down at Shujinkou then shifted her speculative gaze towards Sayori. "Maybe they were just passing by?"

"We were!" Sayori confirmed, nodding her head. "We just wanted some food…"

Shujinkou anxiously scratched his right cheek. I kinda felt forced to come here…

Ignoring Sayori's words, Daitan asked his queen, "Your Majesty, what human would just pass by with a kitsune unless said kitsune is 'domesticated'? Clearly she has been trained to be this human's bodyguard against her will!"

"Hey, I'm not domesticated; Shiko and I are best friends!" Sayori angrily corrected. "Shiko and Auntie H have done nothing but look after me since they found me!"

"And you think he shares the same level of affection for you that you him?" Daitan questioned.

"Not exactly… But pretty close!" Sayori asserted.

Shujinkou once again scratched his right cheek. I don't think anyone can reach the same level of affection that Sayori displays for everyone…

Miki curiously examined the two before Shujinkou. Sayori's confident and defiant eyes that contrasted the rage that filled Daitan's own was something she found interesting. The Queen then looked down at Shujinkou's face. The clear worry he showed for his friend was particularly noteworthy.

"I feel sorry for you; you have clearly been taken in by this human's deception," Daitan scoffed.

"Shiko's not deceptive!" Sayori argued. "He's terrible at deception!"

"Can't argue with that…" Shujinkou quietly agreed.

"You know, we're getting off topic here, nya," Miki interjected. "Dai-chan, what's so wrong with these two being nyaby our territory?"

"Your Majesty, you do remember our present circumstances don't you? It's clear that they have ties to those humans that have been skulking about," Daitan stated.

Miki took another look at Shujinkou's face. "You sure you're not jumping to conclusions, Dai-chan? Them passing by could be one big coincidence, nya."

"I realize that, but for such an unlikely pair, I had to be safe."

Daitan then held up Shujinkou's backpack, shocking its owner.

"Wait, when did you-?!"

Ignoring his attempt to question him, Daitan unzipped the bag and looked inside.

Having his personal stuff be examined and judge would have been bad enough on its own, but the moment Shujinkou saw light fill his captor's eyes filled him with even more worry.

"Queen Miki, in this bag is proof that my suspicions are well founded," Daitan declared.

He swiftly pulled out one of the phones Shujinkou had acquired, causing the new owner's heart to skip a beat.

"In this human's possession are the communication devices my men and I have seen those other humans use!" Daitan announced.

Shujinkou felt the strong urge to cry. Having the device he hoped could help being used against them so soon after he grabbed them was an irony he deemed too cruel for words.

"They're not actually ours. I grabbed them on the way here," Shujinkou timidly explained.

"And how did you acquire them, human?" Daitan questioned.

"I took them from one of these armored guys not too far from here…"

"Armored guys?" Miki repeated, surprised by what she heard. "Like full body armor?"

"Yeah. We were almost caught and captured until a teapot fell on one of them," Sayori added.

"A teapot fell on one of them…" Daitan muttered in disbelief.

"Yeah!"

"And if you were caught, how did it fall on this guy's head? Did you lead him into a trap?"

"No, it fell from the sky…" Shujinkou sheepishly answered.

Daitan just stared at Shujinkou. Words weren't needed for the young human to know what he was thinking.

"Queen Miki, please tell me you aren't falling for this," Daitan pleaded.

Looking up, Daitan was surprised by the serious expression on the feline's face. Her attention was drawn to something else, but he couldn't tell what it could possibly be.

"Your Majesty?"

Miki looked back at Daitan and nonchalantly asked, "What's your theory then, Dai-Chan? Nya."

"I believe these two work for our enemies. Their description of these guys they supposedly came across and their possession of our enemies' devices is evidence enough to confirm that. Their goal was to mark our location, call their team and their robots and help lead an attack that would surely lead to a lot of casualties."

"Robots?" Sayori's mind flash backed to the robot that attacked them before. "You mean like a giant red eye cyclops robot that can effortlessly toss people around?"

"I'm sure you would recognize your own mechs." Daitan rudely remarked.

"They're not ours! We were attacked by one on our way here!"

"A likely story."

"It's true! We weren't the only ones th-!"

Sayori suddenly closed her eyes and raised her nose. After spending a minute taking in the scents of the surrounding area, she opened her eyes and pouted.

"Wait…"

She quickly approached Shujinkou and repeatedly jumped up to meet eyes with Miki.

"Is there a girl named Natsuki here?" Sayori asked.

"Do you believe that we would answer any questions that could give you information for your superiors?" Daitan chastised.

"Yeah, we have a Natsuki here," Miki happily answered.

"My Queen!?"

"She has pink hair and tail?" Sayori continued.

Miki nodded her head. "Mm-hmm."

"She was there! She can prove we're telling the truth! Can you ask her to come here?"

"Do you honestly believe that we'll abide by that ludicrous request?" Daitan rebuked.

"Sure, I'll fetch her for nya."

Miki launched Shujinkou's head and landed on all fours atop a nearby window sill. She opened her mouth wide and kept it open for six minutes.

"What's she doing?" Sayori wondered aloud.

"Something she knows she doesn't like…" Daitan mumbled.

Shujinkou was surprised; not only by the fact Daitan actually answered Sayori despite previous scoldings, but also by the signs of sympathy that was hidden in his defeated expression.

They continued to watch Miki continue her strange action until a hand was thrust forward and covered her mouth. Following behind it was another hand that lifted the silenced feline into the air. Soon after, the owner of the hands jumped into the room and angrily brought Miki up to her face.

"Why do you keep doing that?!" Natsuki cried. "Are you trying to give me a migraine!?"

Miki answered the question, but her response was muffled by Natsuki's palm.

The young looking neko girl quickly removed her hand from the Queen's mouth and tightly gripped both her sides.

"Why do you keep doing that?!" Natsuki cried as she violently shook Miki. "Are you trying to give me a migraine!?"

"I just wanted to know if you know these two," Miki laughed.

Surprised by her answered, Natsuki followed Miki's gaze. She was shocked, to say the least, to see Shujinkou and Sayori standing only a few feet away.

"What are you two doing here?" Natsuki gasped.

"We're being trialed as spies related to that robot you defeated and the people who own it," Shujinkou effortlessly explained. "Right now, my ownership of the phone in Daitan's hand is causing the scale to lean towards that we are spies and Sayori called you here to defend us."

"Can't say he doesn't pay attention," Miki openly complemented.

"Seriously, spies?" Natsuki said with a disbelieving tone. "You two?"

"I see…"

She then turned her attention to Daitan. She could tell by the disapproving look on his face that she wasn't going to like what he was about to say.

You must have led these two to our location," Daitan accused.

"What!?" Natsuki immediately dropped Queen Miki and stormed towards her accuser. "First you get on me about my injuries and now you're accusing me of leading people here! I got here way ahead of them!"

"You've been in contact with them; perhaps they snuck a tracking device on you."

"You already gave me a full body check when I came back! And besides, if these guys were with those guys, then why would their own robot attack them?"

"Perhaps part of an elaborate plan to deceive you into giving them our location. It seems to fit the human race's tendency for deception."

"Deception!? Natsuki angrily pointed at Shujinkou. "Does that guy look like he could ever be any good at any kind of deception!? Just look at him; he looks like he'd struggle to even come up with an okay lie!"

"Again, I can't really argue that…." Shujinkou quietly agreed.

"Looks can be deceiving…!" Daitan growled.

Shujinkou instinctively took a step back; the menacing air that surrounded the two unnerving. It seemed that just one more wrong word would spark an altercation.

"Okay, okay!"

No longer on his head, Shujinkou watched Miki casually stroll between the two. Her cheery gaze had effectively removed the scary atmosphere in the room.

"There are probably more points on both sides, but that'll just lead to more arguing and I want to go back to bed," Miki said with a yawn. "Nya."

She then jumped back onto her throne and stretched her legs. "Anyway, I think I've seen enough and have deliberated and am ready to pass judgment

The Queen shot a threatening glare at Shujinkou and Sayori. "I've decided… to place you two on village arrest."

"Eh!? Wait, what's village arrest?" Sayori asked.

Miki's face immediately softened as she approached the two.

"Basically, you two will be confined to humble home for the foreseeable future," she explained.

"Eh!? But we're in the middle of an adventure; Shiko's been looking forward to this for years!" Sayori protested.

"Sorry, but Dai-Chan's paranoia and the devices you have on nya…" Miki snuck a peek at Daitan, then Shujinkou. "It's just better to be safer than sorry."

"But…!"

"I get it," Shujinkou interrupted. "I'll accept your decision."

"Shiko…"

Despite his words of acceptance, Sayori could see how much disappointment Shujinkou was hiding behind them.

"But to be fair, you won't be restricted in anyway," Miki continued. "You can move around the village however you want and interact with whoever you want; you just can't go beyond the fence, nya."

"My Queen, are you sure that's wise?" Daitan questioned.

"Stuff like this Dai-Chan, you have handle with a degree of finesse that you're lacking right now." She cheekily answered.

"…Very well, but at least let me hold on to the human's possessions."

"Sounds fair."

"Wait!"

Daitan and Miki turned their attention back to Shujinkou.

"You can take my stuff but please let me keep Imajitekku!" the young human pleaded.

"Imajitekku?" Miki's face displayed a childlike curiosity as she turned to Daitan.

The metal object I had in my hand," Shujinkou clarified.

Daitan glanced down at the said object hanging off his belt. "You named a piece of metal?"

"It's not just a piece of metal! It's really important to me!"

Daitan looked back up at Shujinkou. His desperate face was strangely nostalgic to him.

"Please, it was my dad's. It's all I have left of him," Shujinkou begged.

Daitan wanted to immediately refuse his request, but something inside was keeping him from doing so.

"Well, Dai-Chan? What are you going to do?" Miki asked.

Daitan bit his lip and silently tossed Imajitekku at Shujinkou.

"…I'll be returning to my station," he said before leaping out a window.

Everyone was left stunned by his sudden action.

"Dai-Chan is so not good with his feelings."

Shujinkou couldn't help but let out a terrified yelp upon discovering Miki lying on his head again.

"Moving on… I'm sure you two will need some living arrangements and all," a bright smile crossed the feline's face as she waved her tailed in a circle. "Don't worry, I already know the perfect place you two can stay."

"Really? Where?" Sayori asked.

"Ask Natsuki, after all she should know where her own house is."

"Wait, what!?" Natsuki exclaimed. "Why are they staying with me?!"

"If I'm not mistaken, when you got home, didn't you say that you wanted to hit the sack before you passed out again?" Miki recalled.

"Yeah…"

"Meaning you passed out before after your fight with the robot."

"Yeah…"

"And if you got here before them after you all encountered the same robot hours ago, then is it safe to assume that they've watched over you during your first time unconscious?"

"Yeah, they did…"

"So, isn't it only fair that you repay them by doing the same, nya?"

"…Fine, they can stay with me!" Natsuki begrudgingly accepted. "Can I go home now?"

"Don't you mean 'can we go back home now?'" Miki teased.

"Ugh!"

Once again, Shujinkou found it impossible to identify how he felt. He wasn't angry nor was he confounded.

Actually, I think I know what's really going on with me now…

Once he thought it over, it was clear as day to Shujinkou what he felt now that all was said and done. He felt exhausted.