This time, Toshi asked what drink I would prefer—he had plenty to choose from, and, to my delight, even some roasted coffee beans—none of that instant nonsense Kaoru had. He made enough for both of us, and soon, we sat across from one another in the armchairs, the hot cups in our hands.

“How did the kitsune come to curse you?” he asked.

The question surprised me—I’d been convinced he was ready to open up about himself. Huh. Turned out he was even more reserved than I’d thought he was. Still, if me sharing my tale meant that he might be more comfortable, it was worth a shot.

“I’m a bit hazy on the exact details myself, to tell you the truth, but as far as I know, he accidentally knocked me unconscious when I was petting a cat in the human realm, and then he said something about my being in danger if he’d left me there, so he took me back to his house, except that I was still unconscious and didn’t know any of that. So, when I woke up in the morning I wanted to find out where I was and what had happened the previous night, but right when I opened that door, I just so happened to see him transform from a fox into a man.” I shrugged. It was a pretty simple story, everything considered.

Toshi groaned and covered his eyes with a large hand. “That dumbass,” he growled. “Never thinks things through…!”

Those were the words of an exasperated friend if ever I heard any. And his reaction was so alike something Natsu might say, it was uncanny. How many pieces of the whole picture was I missing still?

“Why did you not just ask him directly to give the fan back to you?”

His annoyance turned to real anger. His eyes blazed when he looked at me again. “Kitsune cannot be trusted,” he spat. “They’ve proven that enough.”

What had happened between those two? This went beyond an argument. It felt a lot like a circle of endless revenge, an eye-for-an-eye kind of thing. Except that I couldn’t see Kaoru lashing out the same way. He was a lot more direct. Something told me that acting this way wasn’t in Toshi’s nature, either. It didn’t quite fit with the rest of his personality I was seeing.

Perhaps a change of subject might be in order for the moment.

“I see you like murder mysteries,” I said, pointing at the corner of his shelf reserved for Tohikito Masato.

Perplexed at my sudden—and not exactly smooth—segway, Toshi blinked at me for a moment. A faint speck of color grew on his cheeks and his eyes began to wander… distinctly everywhere except those books. Was he embarrassed? I’d never considered murder mysteries to be something to be ashamed of—it wasn’t exactly the same as reading smut—but perhaps in tengu society, things were viewed differently. I decided to reassure him.

“I’ve actually read some of them as well,” I stood up and crossed over to the section. “They’re really well written, and so well plotted, they always keep me reading through the entire night.”

I glanced back at him, only to see him an even deeper shade of red. Okay then, back to the books.

“Let’s see…” I tapped the books I’d read on the spine. “I’ve read that one and this one, and that one too, and…” I trailed off, staring at two of the titles. I knew the name of the books, I’d seen them both advertised, but… they weren’t meant to be released for another two months at least. I pulled one of them from the shelf, staring at the front cover. Either I had spent far longer living in this realm than I realized, or…

I spun around to Toshi, holding out the book in front of me, tapping the cover. “How did you get your hands on this one? The Lake’s Silence isn’t even out in the human realm yet!”

He avoided my gaze. “Advanced copy,” he muttered quietly.

I crossed over to him. “Toshi,” I said earnestly, “would you mind if I borrowed it? I really want to read it, the premise sounds so cool! Oh, and this one as well? Caught in the Owl’s Beak?”

I hadn’t thought it possible, but he actually turned crimson. He nodded though, so I got what I wanted.

Delighted, I stroked the cover of The Lake’s Silence, marveling at my luck.

“I hope you like it,” Toshi said quietly.

I beamed at him. “I’m sure that I will!”

He got to his feet and turned his back to me as he started slowly walking away. “I’ll go check on my father. I’ll be back shortly, don’t leave, okay?”

He glanced over his shoulder, and I saluted. “Yessir!”