Kajai was not entirely sure. When they returned to the Tsukihime home, both Castandra and Griselda were nowhere to be found. Fearing both the full wrath of Himiko's mother and the meddling of Himiko's sister, they opted to leave the Tsukihime house behind, and return to the other world.

The transition was just as strange the first time, with Kajai finding himself in a void of darkness.

“Kajai! Stop getting lost in there! Do you want to be stuck?”

Kajai didn’t respond, but gave in to the pulling sensation he felt at the call of her words. The next thing he knew the sky was below him and Yumekoji was above him, until Himiko grabbed him by his shirt and he latched onto Petalbroom.

“Watch your hands!” The familiar shrieked.

Kajai rolled his eyes.

Himiko adjusted her hat. “Kajai, you’re going to have to learn how to focus on where you want to go, otherwise you might get lost in the ‘in-between’...”

“In-between?”

“The spot in between the worlds.”

“Is it really called that?”

“Probably not. That’s what Grizzy called it when she first showed me how to travel this way. It’s a shortcut...she didn’t have access to the actual spell, but it's not like we can buy one…”

Kajai shivered. He had forgotten that little detail: not just any caster was allowed to travel between the two worlds. While accompanying her father to his work with the scribes, Griselda had caught a glimpse of the spell and tried to memorize it. After two successful trips,  she had taught it to Himiko, whom used it, and subsequently dropped her book on Kajai’s island. 

In short, Griselda’s mischief had resulted in his current situation.

He stared down at the island below them feeling both grateful and anxious. His eyes focused on two of his classmates as they walked the path up to school, backpacks swinging as they walked.

“Almost time for school…” He muttered.

‘Eh?’

“IT'S ALMOST TIME FOR SCHOOL!” Kajai shouted almost directly into Himiko’s ear.

“Hwaaa! What are you yelling about!?”

“We have to go home! I have to get home! Now!”

“Alright, just stop yelling! Full speed Petalbroom.”

Wind tore at Kajai’s face and petals were scattered across the sky. As soon as Himiko touched down Kajai hopped off the familiar and headed upstairs. He changed his clothes as quickly as he could and grabbed his backpack. Himiko was waiting in the doorway when he returned. “Hop on, we can get you there faster.”

His face lit up with appreciation.“Thanks!”

It wasn’t until they were up in the air that Kajai realized something. “Wait, won’t someone see us? Come to think of it, no one has…”

“Of course not.” Was the very short response he received before Himiko was touching back down. She took his hand and Kajai found himself dangling in the air, a foot off the ground, but not falling. His eyes remained on Himiko, who somehow kept him from feeling the force of gravity, squeezing his hand tightly. The air around them was filled with Petalbroom’s scattering petals and a pleasant aroma wafted along with the breeze. Kajai felt one foot touch the ground, and then another as Himiko let go of his hand. The sunlight cast a glow on her hair, and Kajai was sure he had forgotten how to speak for a moment.

“I'll see you later.” She promised.

“Ah...Yeah…”

She waved and was then lost in the sky again. If the school bell had not rung then, Kajai wasn’t sure he would’ve remembered what he was doing behind the building. 

He wandered out to the front, still dazed. He shook his head and willed himself to focus. One of Petalbroom’s pink petals fell from his shoulder to the ground. He watched as it was stepped on by another student's sneaker before it disappeared.

“G-Good morning, Ojunko-kun!” His greeter was louder than before.

He turned. “ Ah, good morning Morino-san.”

Standing before him was a young girl with a fair complexion, hair light in color, and dark eyes. She wore the fall uniform in a size larger than necessary, despite the heat. Coupled together, her owlish expression and attire gave her a doll-like appearance. They were about the same height, with Kajai only taller due to his hair.

While they rarely spoke, they were neighbors, as a pathway to her home was located on the hill Kajai’s house resided on.

Morino Chizuru, soft-spoken and popular in her grade, was in the class next door to his.

When it appeared she had nothing more to say, Kajai excused himself. “Well, if that will be all…” He entered the school building.

Chizuru stood still for a moment. Today he had heard her. That was progress.

Kajai found it hard to concentrate on anything for the remainder of the day, and was beginning to see a pattern in his behavior. In order to feign interest, he hid a novel behind his textbook, but even that could not hold his attention and he found himself daydreaming once again. At lunch he realized he had nothing prepared. With a sigh he rose from his seat and headed downstairs to the school store. A limited supply of bread was available,  and a line was already forming.

 In the end, he couldn’t purchase anything. He spent the rest of the day ignoring his growling stomach. The journey home was longer than usual without his bike and he trudged up the hill, sweating from the heat.

When he stepped inside the he kicked off his shoes and unbuttoned his shirt, then quickly buttoned it back when he remembered he had a guest.

A cheery pop tune was coming from the livingroom. When he entered, he found Himiko in front of the television trying to mimic the dance moves of a young idol.

“K-Kajai!” She froze, one arm still raised “I wasn’t...I just…”

“Hn…” He crossed his arms and shook his head. “No, no you don’t have to say it. I understand. The catchiness of the sugar sugar nyan dance is universally acceptable. I too have been caught in its snare.”

“Really?” Himiko was surprised. “Can you do it?”

Kajai looked at the screen. “Hmph! While I haven’t mastered the entire dance...Observe!” He performed the choreography along with the idol until the chorus ended.

“Wow!” Himiko clapped. “You make it look so easy!”

Kajai put his hands on his hips, his expression was serious. “My secret is to break the dance down into smaller, easier steps.”

“Ohhh, I see.” Himiko was inspired..”I’ll try that!”

After trying out a few more moves, they took a break for iced tea and snacks. 

“What do you call these little things?” Himiko asked, popping another small ‘thing’ in her mouth.

“Eh, well they’re all Arare, except the peas of course.”

“What’s arare? These sort of taste like crackers.”

“They are, except they’re made with rice and soy sauce. Having them always makes me want to eat karinto to balance things out.”

Griselda watched on from the reflection cast against the pitcher on the table. If Himiko or Kajai had looked at the pitcher just then, they would have seen her face instead of their own.

‘First dancing and now snacks? They’re skipping all the fun parts and acting like roommates. I can’t leave my sister with someone so....boring.’

Kajai excused himself to go upstairs and take a bath. After washing up and rinsing off he sat down in the tub with a sigh. 

“Long day?” Griselda asked, sitting across from him in a black bathing suit.

“Not real--Gah!” Kajai reached for a towel. “Griselda! What are you doing in here!?”

Griselda stood up and Kajai tried to cover himself and get out of the tub. However, he found he could not move, as Griselda stood over him. She bent over, reaching for his face. “Tell me Kajai, what do you desire?”

“Haaaah!?” Kajai had no choice but to stay still. ‘Darn it! I can't move at all!’

“If it’s fortune or fame I can do that. Women too…” She shrugged. “Though from the look of things, you lack that kind of desire.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

Griselda frowned. “You should announce your undying love for her, or pull her into a passionate embrace!” Griselda whined, wrapping her arms around herself. “If you’re going to live in sin, do it properly!”

“You’re saying some really weird stuff, Griselda-san.”

“Griselda-nee.” She corrected.

“Griselda-nee...san.” He decided.

Griselda braced her hands against the wall behind him, an evil grin on her face. “Or maybe you’re into older women?”

Kajai grimaced. “Please stop, Nee-san. This is turning into sexual harassment.” 

“I thought boys your age were into that. It's all over the television.”

“That’s because this country’s birth rate keeps dropping. I think they’re just trying to get guys excited at this point, but I hate that sort of thing.”

 Griselda returned to the other end of the tub. “Now I feel like the villain here.”

“You should! You can't paralyze people while they’re trying to bathe! And to make things worse, I’m your sister's fiancée! Ah, somehow. If I had proposed to her properly...And she said yes--you wouldn’t be doing this, right?”

Griselda tapped a finger against her chin. “Hm…”

“It’s not something you should have to think about! It’s wrong!”

“Yes, yes. But consider this--what if the person my sister chose was unfaithful? It would be my duty to expose him for what he really were.”

“Yeah…” Kajai was feeling pretty exposed himself. “You don’t think I would cheat on her, do you? Not that we have any semblance of a romantic relationship or anything.”

“Exactly! At this rate, anyone could swoop in and take her away! Or you, for that matter.”

“Well…” Kajai looked down at the water.  “If Himiko were to fall in love with someone, I wouldn’t ruin her happiness.”

“Ha!” Griselda slammed her fist on the water as if it were a table. “I most certainly would! Or make it rain snakes on their wedding day. That sounds fun.”

“You’re quite formidable, Griselda-neesan.”

Griselda began to disappear down into the water. “Of course! Now try something a little more romantic. This platonic nonsense is getting on my nerves…” 

He waited until he was sure she was gone before getting out of the tub, wrapping himself in a robe, he retreated into his room. ‘I don’t even feel clean after that…’