I didn’t know what I’d expected, but it hadn’t been a drinking fest.

The yokai, half in humanoid shapes, half in their full yokai state, were throwing back cup after cup of sake. Natsu was right there with them, knocking back one after the other, challenging and then drinking them into the ground one by one in the traditional-style bar.  Kaoru had politely declined for both of us when she’d tried to drag us into it as well.

Satoru had followed Natsu like a puppy, refusing to stray from her side, clearly hoping that she would select him as her next challenger sooner or later.

Meanwhile, Kaoru introduced me to one yokai after another, though I could barely remember their names. Even though most of them were quite polite and Kaoru’s promise of them not yet being affected by my curse seemed to hold true, my nerves lay bare. That could probably be attributed to the few yokai who, while not quite being rabid with hunger, showed clear signs of interest, their eyes following me around the room, even after we left them to meet others. Some of them threw a cursory glance at Kaoru as she introduced me, almost as if to gage whether they could take her in a fight.

“Anyone catch your eye?” Kaoru asked eventually.

Hesitantly, I shook my head. I shouldn’t have come. I really shouldn’t have put myself in this position. I’d never been too comfortable at parties, and most the yokai I’d spoken to tonight had been drunk. Never even mind the few who kept their desire to devour me undisguised; I was pretty sure I’d seen one of the kasha drool when watching me.  At least no one had tried to attack me yet. That was one step up from my previous encounters with yokai.

“Maybe you should try having another conversation with some of them,” Kaoru suggested. “I’ve got to take care of something real quick.”

She stepped away before I could grab her sleeve to stop her, and I froze in my tracks. Was it just me, or had the room suddenly gotten quieter again? Panicked, I shot a glance at Natsu, desperately hoping that she, at least, was still around, because I really didn’t feel like becoming anyone’s dinner tonight. She was looking my way, her face not even flushed from all the sake she’d drunk, and she nodded to me, before giving me a thumbs up and a small smirk.

Okay.

She was keeping an eye on me, telling me I’d be fine. Provided that I was reading her signal correctly. Which I sincerely hoped I was.

Still nervous, though slightly reassured, I decided to approach a dodomeki Kaoru had introduced me to earlier who was having a conversation with a weasel—probably a ten—in a corner, making sure that I stayed in Natsu’s direct line of vision. The dodomeki named Kisho had appeared like the least drunk out of the yokai I’d spoken to so far, and unlike a certain kasha, he also hadn’t seemed overly hungry at the sight of me.

“Hello again,” I said, hoping my voice wasn’t shaky. “Mind if I join you?”

Kisho gestured graciously to the pillow next to them. His thousands of eyes closed simultaneously, and merged into his body, leaving behind a dark-haired man with a pleasant smile and a striking jawline who looked like he might be around his late thirties.

“How are you finding living among yokai?” he asked. “I can imagine that it must be scary.”

The compassion in his voice and eyes along with his gentle demeanor put me a little at ease. Perhaps Kaoru had been right, and I’d only needed to have a real conversation with one of the yokai here.

The ten changed shape as well to match us. He appeared as a fair-haired young man, the kind I could easily have met in my first semester in university and then never seen again. He watched me with a sly smirk on his face and a glint in his eye that made me a little uncomfortable. Maybe I was getting paranoid, but he looked hungry to me. Missing was only drool spilling out of the corner of his lips.

“It’s,” I paused to find the right terms, “an experience. I’m learning a lot, and I am enjoying it for the most part, but it hasn’t been very long yet.”

“Perhaps it won’t be,” the ten added, his smirk widening, and yep, there it was, the drool. Just a drop of it, but that was enough to put the fear right back into me. I looked around to catch Natsu’s eye, to assure myself she still had an eye on things, but instead, I was faced by a dark-haired young man with green eyes, and a mischievously flirtatious grin on his face.

“Excuse me, but may I steal your princess away for a moment?” His voice was like silk, and I couldn’t look away from him. I felt as though he’d put a spell on me. His clear jawline and high cheekbones gave him the appearance of the perfect casting choice for prince charming in every Hollywood fairy tale movie. I knew I would have cast him. And like prince charming, I felt like he had just rescued me. He held out his hand, and I didn’t even think twice about putting mine in his, allowing him to pull me to my feet.

I felt no fear with him looking at me. At most, I was a little excited. I might have finally found a yokai I actually did want to get to know better.

He led me away slowly and gently, out into the garden, away from the crowds of drunk yokai.

It was already dark outside, the moon having taken her place high in the sky, peeking out from between wispy clouds. He looked up at her for a long moment in silence, his hand still gently clasping mine. Then, he sighed, slowly lowering his gaze and turning to me.

“You’re in a tricky situation, princess,” he said quietly, his eyes fixing me in place, but not in a scary or unkind way. There was real concern in them. “I know you don’t have much time but be careful about who you approach.”

“I…” I began but faltered. I cleared my throat and tried again. “Thank you.”

Prince Charming looked perplexed for a moment. Then he chuckled quietly. “Kao’s really going to have to look out if she doesn’t want anyone to snatch you away.”

I perked up. “You know Kaoru?”

Any friend of Kaoru had to be safe. Right? He didn’t seem to be affected by my curse, so…

“You could say that.” He tilted his head to the side, amused. “Is she looking after you properly?”

“Yeah. She’s great. But uh… if you don’t mind my asking… Who are you?”

I couldn’t even tell what kind of yokai he was. His shape didn’t give anything away. He could be anything and anyone. He could even be human, though I had severe doubts on that front.

“My name is Akihiko,” he said with a charming smile as he leaned down to kiss my hand. “And I’m sure we’ll meet again soon.”

The sudden noise of a bottle smashing on the ground instinctively made me spin toward the bar for just a moment, but, when I caught myself and turned back, Akihiko had gone.

 “Misaki! What are you doing over there?”

I flinched when I heard the voice right behind me, my heart beating like a mile a minute and my instincts screaming at me to run away. But they all died down when I managed to turn to find Kaoru standing there with a smirk and her arms loosely crossed over her chest.

I couldn’t find the words to respond, but one look at the ten and the kasha watching me from the house even now, made me take a step closer to Kaoru and finally grab her sleeve.

Kaoru leaned down to study my face before a gentle smile spread across her face, and she took my hand. “Let’s go home,” she said. “You look like you’ve had enough.”