Thirty-Ninth Spell: Suspicious Slime

"Are you going back to your family?" Haru asked the uwabami snake girl Heshi.

Stopping partway, Heshi shook her head. "My mom kicked me out of the nest five months after I hatched."

"Why?"

"Because I looked different from my other siblings, who were black with red stripes like Mom."

"Do you know why you're different?"

"No, I don't."

"How long have you been living on your own?"

"A year and a half, which is unusual since Mom told me less than half of newborn uwabamis live past a year."

"Then you're pretty young," Haru realized. "Is there a reason uwabami newborns don't live long in general?"

"It's because they have to compete with other yokai for food and avoid natural predators like weasels and hawks."

"Can't you just use your elemental powers to stop them?"

"It takes a lot of practice to use these powers. And at this point I can only incapacitate enemies, not defeat them altogether."

Looking back at Midorime, Haru's mind was conflicted. He felt a sudden kinship with Heshi knowing that she was alone and ostracized like him. But he didn't know how Heshi would react if he asked her to stay with him since he knew nothing about how to take care of a snake yokai compared to regular snakes, which he did a lot of research for in case he ever got the opportunity to get a snake as a pet.

"Could I stay with you?" Heshi asked, catching Haru off-guard.

"Um, why?" said Haru, who was trying to offset his surprise by acting cool. "I thought you were afraid of humans."

"I'm not afraid of you," Heshi responded. "You're the first human I've been able to talk to, and you didn't try to eat or attack me. So that makes you a friend, which means I shouldn't abandon you like what you did for that girl."

"Oh, Hikari? Well, we're…not exactly friends. I mean, I guess we've saved each other from dangerous stuff. But she's been mean to me since we met and—it's complicated."

"But you seemed genuinely concerned about her well-being," Heshi pointed out. "Is that not what friends do?"

Sighing, Haru said, "No, you're right. That is what friends do for each other."

"Then let's go!" Heshi took Haru's hand and pulled him back to where Midorime was still standing. "I can't wait to see this 'Mahoutokoro' the tall lady was talking about, which sounds like a safer place than here."

Just as Haru was about to object, he realized Heshi was still in her human form as they emerged from the trees and Midorime spotted them.

"Aw!" Midorime exclaimed. "Your uwabami is adorable, Haru! Is she young?"

"She told me she's about a year old," Haru said.

"Is that so?" Midorime then looked at Heshi. "What's your name, sweet pea?"

"H-Heshi," replied Heshi nervously.

"Did you name her yourself?" Midorime asked Haru.

"Yes, I did," Haru replied.

"Such a cute name!" Midorime smiled. "I'm assuming you're taking her home with us."

Haru nodded cautiously, unsure of Midorime's reaction.

"Then I'll have to speak to Dōmeki-Sama about your decision," Midorime said. "Because you see, uwabami are generally not permitted as familiars—let alone pets."

While Heshi became upset, Haru couldn't believe it. "Can't you make an exception for Heshi? She told me she's never eaten anybody."

"Even if she hasn't, that doesn't guarantee she won't when she's older. And uwabami are well-known for their monstrous appetites, including their high tolerance for alcohol."

"The nice lady is right," Heshi said. "I do eat a lot, and I remember my mom bringing home lots of sake to drink."

"What about Hikari's kitsune?" Haru argued. "How come she can keep a yokai and I can't?"

"Inari kitsune, along with tanuki and yatagarasu, are among the few benevolent yokai that can be kept as familiars," Midorime explained. "But for other kinds of yokai, you need a special license and they're quite difficult to obtain legally."

"Is there anything we can do?" Haru pleaded.

"For the time-being, Heshi will have to remain in her serpent form and be treated like a regular snake," replied Midorime. "So you mustn't tell anyone else what Heshi really is, or they might report you to the Japanese Ministry of Magic. Can you promise me that?"

"Yes, I promise," Haru said.

"Good!" Midorime then held her hand out. "Now let's go home, Ryuji-Kun."

Back at Mahoutokoro, Haru and Heshi in her serpent form were escorted to Dōmeki's office along with Hikari, Sumi, and Rui. There, Dōmeki made them swear not to speak about Heshi's true nature to anyone else at the threat of turning their enchanted school kimonos white. So all four agreed to Dōmeki's pledge, and were allowed to head back to their dorms except for Haru who stayed behind.

"I would recommend that you meet with Maki-Sensei to discuss how to care for your uwabami sometime tomorrow," Dōmeki said to Haru. "And if you need to leave a class early, I'll give you a hall pass to do it."

"Thank you, Dōmeki-Sama," Haru said, taking the familiar yellow card from Dōmeki's hand. "I really appreciate what you've done for me."

Dōmeki's stern expression didn't change. "Then I hope you prove that you're a capable caretaker, Ryuji-Kun, so my favors don't go to waste."

"Yes, Headmistress Dōmeki," Haru bowed. "I won't let you down!"

"Very well," Dōmeki said, waving her hand dismissively. "You may go now."

As Haru left, he nearly ran into someone. When he backed up, he saw that it was Shō-Sensei. Her face was bandaged up, though her robe sleeves were still torn from her encounter with the oni. Though for a moment, Haru noticed a slimy substance on Shō's right sleeve which she quickly covered up with her other hand.

"My apologies, Ryuji-Kun," Shō said, though she didn't sound sincere. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to speak to Headmistress Dōmeki."

Shō then pushed past Haru and went into Dōmeki's office. This left Haru feeling confused as he walked down the corridor with Heshi sticking her head out of his jacket pocket.

"Did you see the slime?"

Startled, Haru looked to his left and saw Hikari leaning against a wall in a perpendicular hallway under an illuminated paper lantern.

To be continued…