Money

Miroku watched a small, rectangular paper flutter free from Kagome's bag as she pulled out yet another book and a spiral-bound writing scroll. A slight breeze blew it toward him. He picked it up, knowing she always panicked when she misplaced things. He examined it quickly, intrigued. One side had green ink and featured two cranes. The other side had blue ink and showed a man with short hair,
wearing a type of kimono the monk had never seen.

"Kagome-sama, you dropped this." He held the paper out to her.

The schoolgirl glanced from her text to the proffered item, narrowing her eyes. "Oh my god! Thanks, Miroku! Mom would have killed me if I'd lost that!"

"It is an important ofuda from your era, then?" he asked.

"No. It's money."

"Money? How ingenious," he exclaimed. "How much is this worth?"

Kagome glanced at the bill. "One thousand yen."

Frowning at the foreign denomination, he pulled out the string of coins he always carried. One hand carefully counted and weighed them while the other held the note between thumb and forefinger. "A man could carry a fortune easily," he muttered in wonder, missing the dark looks his companions gave him.