She lifted her chin in a pompous look, watching him with slitted eyes the colour of pond scum. “Hmm, well I wanted to see an idiot get beaten up by a mere pup, so my day is proceeding nicely.”

“I did not—” He cut himself off. Arguing with the Cat Girl never went anywhere Kuro liked to go. She was utterly infuriating. “So what? I just wanted an excuse to beat up some humans.”

“Yet you let them go unscathed, meow. Hardly the big bad demon you claim to be.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Soon you’ll worship at my shrine, begging me for favours.”

She laughed in the annoying way cats did with a wrinkled nose and amused rasp. “That, dear kitten, will take a long time, meow.”

“You’ve had your fun. Go away.”

The Cat Girl sniffed the air. “Is that red bean mochi?”

“So what if it is?” He turned his body away, shielding the mochi from view.

She pinned her green eyes on his treasure without blinking. “I so adore red bean mochi.”

“Tell someone who cares.”

“But you have so many. If you give but three to me—”

“Go ask a human to feed you,” Kuro sneered. “You stink like them.”

“In these hard times, one can’t give up a free meal, meow.”

“Then go beg one off a human!”

“They’d hardly go for giving a cat their mochi.” She licked her paw and brushed the hair out of her eyes.

He glared at her. “Then why do you expect me to?”

“Because a god must be beneficent,” she said. “And you need all the favours you can get, meow.”

Kuro snapped a cake into his mouth and chewed it slowly for her benefit. As if he needed any favours at all. He’d starve the rabbits of all their offerings until they begged him to take their shrine. Then he’d rule as their god. He’d allow the spirits to stay at the shrine so long as they pampered him in his every desire. And he’d never, ever allow this cat past the barriers. His barriers would be too strong. He swallowed and grinned at her.

She cocked her head to the side, not blinking. “You really should share, meow. You might actually make a friend.”

As if Kuro needed friends. People — whether humans or spirits — were only ever out for themselves. Especially the Cat Girl. She’d say anything for a cake.

“Say, weren’t you being chased by two samurai just now?” she asked.

Kuro snorted. “If you could call them that. They’re servants to a snot-nosed brat.”

She widened her eyes. “You mean you actually have servants?”

“Ha, that was so funny I forgot to laugh.” He rolled his eyes. “Never mind them. They’re probably slinking back to their master’s estate by now.”

“Then one little cake won’t matter to you very much.”

“They matter too much to give to you.”

She sighed. “Fine, be that way, meow.”

He grinned. So she was finally giving up.

The Cat Girl jumped from the wall onto Kuro’s shoulder. Even in human form, she weighed only as much as a cat, but she dug all four sets of claws into his back and shoulder. She yowled at the top of her lungs, but the sound was lost in Kuro’s scream.

“Shut up!” Kuro shrugged his shoulders and weaved his torso about, trying to unseat the cat, but she only dug her claws in deeper.

“Fine, fine!” He shoved a mochi cake into her mouth. “I hope you choke on it!”

She released her claws, balancing perfectly on his shoulder, no heavier than a cat. She grinned around the cake at her victory, then chomped down. But when she tried to open her mouth again, the glutinous rice worked better than glue. Her mouth was stuck closed.

The Cat Girl had been right. He should have just given her the mochi to begin with.

Wiggling her head from side to side, she applied her claws again. Kuro yelped. She batted at the mochi with her paws, but the cake remained firmly stuck.

She, however, did not. She fell off his shoulders and landed on her feet. With a stunned expression, she stared cross-eyed at the cake.

A god would be magnanimous in victory. But Kuro wasn’t a god yet. He pointed at her and laughed from deep within his belly.

She glared up at him, but what could she do with her mouth stuck? She walked backwards, as if she could walk out of the cake, and batted it again.

“It’s your own fault,” he told her. “You’re the one who forced me to give it to you.”

She swatted a paw at him. Kuro just laughed some more.

The ringing of wood sandals sent shivers up Kuro’s spine. Oh no. He turned to the crossroad the retainers had disappeared down. The clatter grew louder.

Kuro cursed under his breath and gave the Cat Girl one last glare. “Snitch!”

The retainers — one from the right, one from the left — slid into the street. They drew their swords.

All this bother for a human thief. They didn’t even know what he really was. But they’d murder him all the same.