Time: 20XX A.D.

Location: Tokyo, Japan

Period: X Era

"And that, students, is why captive animals can not be released immediately into the wild! Next Tuesday, we will learn this concept: How to tell if your animal is in heat and ready for mating. Make sure to bring your notebooks and writing utensils. Class dismissed!" There was shuffling of feet, and everybody made their way out of the classroom.

A brown-haired girl hastily beelined to the library. Waiting for her to arrive was a blonde male with skin like tanned leather, dark and smooth, and vibrant green eyes, almost as if he was electrifying you with his gaze. 

He looked up from what he was reading, closed it, and put it on the librarian's cart as she rolled past. He waited until the librarian had gotten far enough away to not confuse her, then he turned to the panting girl. "Took you long enough. I thought that you had been kidnapped or something."

She rolled her eyes in disbelief, sat down, and opened a book. "I highly doubt anyone would want to kidnap the daughter of a poor old shrine keeper, Akarui."

He looked into her honey hazel eyes and sighed. "Sometimes, I don't think you know your own worth." He reached up, touching the strand of golden hair hanging daintily from her head.

She giggled and swatted his hand away. "What is with you today? You are never this sappy. Why do you seem so interested in this one piece of hair? It has been like this since we were young."

"I still find it strange that your hair- Nevermind. Anyway, was that your last class?"

"Yes, it was. Are you done with your project report?"

He nodded and got up from the table. The brunette followed behind the blonde, closing the book and grabbing the colorful bag. They swiftly walked to the parking lot and put their stuff in a car. Once everything was together, they got in. They drove past the market, the gas station, and the high school and kindergarten both had attended, then straight to the shrine.

"Do you think that your sister will be home tonight? If not, you are welcome to bring Connor and Juniper by for dinner. We are having ramen," she mentioned while getting out of the vehicle after arriving at the foot of the mountain. 

"Thanks, Aki. That would be nice. Tell your parents that we will be joining them. And make sure to add extra mushrooms for me."

Aki gathered her belongings and turned back around to face her friend. "Sir, yes, sir," she saluted. He playfully pushed her out while the girl wiggled her eyebrows back at him. She marched towards the stone stairs leading up to the shrine and proudly scaled them until she came to a large red torii gate. "One of two." She continued on her way up the second flight of stairs, then past two wooden poles with prayers and blessings hung from them. On the mountain sat a shrine, and a little ways away was a large house surrounded by forest and flora.

"Aki-chan! Aki-chaaaaan!" The loud, drawn-out scream could be heard from the house. A small woman with the eyes of a doe waited at the entrance with a bag in tow. "These are from the baker. He knew you wouldn't have time to pick them up, so he delivered them instead."

She could smell the sweet treats and immediately knew what it was. "Taiyaki," she moaned. The smell was stimulating, and her mouth watered. She took the bag to her room and placed it on her desk while her school bag lay on the floor beside her, the belongings within spilling out. She plopped on her bed and began to scroll through her phone.

After staring blankly at her screen for an hour, she decided to prep for dinner. Suddenly, she felt shivers down her spine. Looking around and finding no open windows, Aki brushed it off and made her way to the kitchen. She pulled out the ingredients she would need and began preparations. Chopping the green onions, mushrooms, cabbage, and carrots, shredding the leeks, braising the pork, heating up the stock, and bringing the noodles to a boil. Aki finished each task efficiently and waited for everyone to come to the dining room. Her mother and father strode down the stairs shortly after she finished, and they helped set the table.

"Papa, how was your day?" Aki said.

"It was a little overwhelming at the beginning of the day, but it mellowed out towards the end. So many people wanted to tour the forest and meditate. I had to pause the tour for a couple of hours."

"Well, I will be able to help you. My next class is on Wednesday, so I'm free until then."

"That's a relief. I will show you what I need you to do tomorrow."

Some banging was heard at the door, and after Aki's mother answered, two little children ran past her and tackled Aki's legs. "Welcome, guys. You can sit in your usual seats."

"Connor, Juniper. Behave yourselves," Akarui said from the door.

"Hai, Oniisan!" both replied brightly. They scrambled to their seats and sat down.

"Sorry for intruding, oba-chan. We brought this," he handed her a paper bag.

The older woman smiled softly, gently taking it from his hands. "It is always a pleasure to have you here. Have you been keeping my daughter out of trouble? Other than you, she doesn't bring anyone else by."

"Mom, stop!" Aki said, burning bright red from her neck up. 

"Sweetie, you're 28. It's about time you get married. Somebody should be here to handle the shrine if you want to be a wildlife vet."

Aki knew her mother was right, yet she still couldn't help but feel painfully embarrassed. For the past couple of years, she had gone on dates, meetings, and dinners for her mother's sake. But every one of them was the same. They either wanted her to be a maid, or they wanted her for her body. Disgusting, she thought to herself. How could any self-respecting person use or see someone else as an object?!

She was pulled back into reality when Akarui chuckled at the sudden outburst. "She is doing just fine at keeping herself out of trouble. If anything, I would be the one causing her problems. Everyone on the soccer team has it bad for her."

Aki rolled her eyes as her mother squealed with glee. "Isn't dinner getting cold? We can talk about this later. Right now, I'd prefer to fill my stomach with food rather than filling my head with craziness."