"The usual? Two pudding cups, three noodle cups, five taiyaki, and twelve ramune to get you through the week?" The guy at the counter stopped to look up, pleasantly surprised to see Aki holding out the exact amount in anticipation.

"3633 yen, right?"

"Yeah. And don't let my mom know I said anything, but I'll give you a melon bread half off tomorrow when you come past for lunch."

"Okay!" Aki laughed and grabbed her bag, waving as she turned to leave. She struggled to make it through the crowd, though there were fewer students than before. Aki's mind was working overtime, currently occupied with thoughts of melon bread and discounts along with thoughts that ran so deep. She didn't notice the eyes watching her every movement.

"Ugggghhhh!" Aki grumbled. Following such an eventful day, she had finally made it home. It felt wonderful to be in her own living room, sprawled out on the couch. Aki had barely made it there, so there was no way she was trying to crawl to her room. Too tired to eat, she quickly fell asleep to the sound of silence.

Two days went by in the same fashion, squeezing through groups of students, laughing with the stall owner, paying for her items, and forcing her way through the crowd again until Aki had had enough. On the third day of shuffling through the dazed students, she turned around midway and marched her way further to the front. On the wall, connected to the gate surrounding the campus, was a sleeping tan man with long, orange hair dressed in a kimono, brandishing a strange pattern on the sleeve. She fought to get closer to him, and as soon as she was at the front of the crowd, his eyes shot open. He leaped off the wall and landed upright, facing the girl, stunning everyone, especially Aki. 

Jumping off an eight-foot wall is no easy feat. One wrong move, and that’s a wrap for your ankles, she thought. But he seemed fine enough as he strutted toward her.

  He leaned forward, almost nose to nose with her, before unexpectedly sniffing around her. Aki flushed bright red, embarrassed at the sudden events. “What the heck do you think you’re doing?!” She became even more irritated as he continued doing as he pleased – sniffing here and there, and as soon as he came behind her, she swiftly turned around and slapped him.

He gritted his teeth and yelled at her, "Why d'ya slap me, ya stupid woman?!"

Aki retorted, "Me stupid?! I'm not the one sniffing strangers like a dog!"

"A d- A DOG?! How dare you insult me?! Tainting my namesake with their filthy blood?! And what do ya mean strangers?!"

The crowd continued to gather to see the spectacle, some noting the man's beauty and others waiting to see a fight.

Aki was beyond shocked at the man's audacity. "Once again, I'm not the stupid one here- I don't know you. That's what strangers mean."

The man rolled his eyes and chuckled. "I was at your house earlier this week, ya know. You tended my wound. See?", he wore a sinister grin. He proceeded boldly, leaned in and exposed his shoulder. However, she quickly stopped him, noticing the onlookers blushing and speculating. “Oh, you little- C’mere!” she said through gritted teeth. She grabbed his wrist and dragged him back toward the buildings. When they arrived at the building for her next class, he showed him the office and told him to stay put until she was done.

Why, God? What did I do to deserve this headache? she thought.

An hour passed, and she was drained. All the commotion of the day, plus the test she had completed not even moments ago, made her brain foggy. Aki decided to head home until she remembered the strange man. Even before she had a chance to turn back, he was already standing right behind her. She jumped back in surprise, and he looked at her, confused.

"Why so jumpy? I should be the one surprised. You put me in that strange room by myself and left me behind- I could've been in real danger there!" He scoffed, continuing to walk ahead of her.

"How dramatic," Aki breathed, rolling her eyes as she caught up to him. "Do you even know where we're going, bub?"

"Nope. But by the time your short legs take us in the right direction and you finally settle on not being so surprised at every little thing... It'll be sundown."

"The audacity!" Aki yelled, causing everyone around to look at them in bewilderment. She blushed profusely and grabbed the man's hand, tugging him along.

"Whoa, short stuff! Where are we going?"

"Just shut up and follow me, will you?- And quit calling me short stuff! Akarui does it enough." The walk to the cafe was brief; however, it felt like an eternity to Aki. When they got inside, she let go of the man and walked to a table, hoping for a civilized conversation. "Sit," she ordered, gesturing towards the booth opposite her. He stood and looked at her defiantly. "Please?" she asked.

He huffed and crossed his arms, yet still reluctantly took a seat. "So first, you constantly yell at me, then drag me to this unknown place? What's next? You want me to repay you with some labor for taking me in?"

Aki sighed. "While that might be nice, I must ask you a few questions..."

"Okay. Go ahead."

"What is your name?"

"You know already."

Aki was confused. She had never met this man in her life. Her confusion turned into anger as he insisted he had already introduced himself. She inhaled sharply. "I don't have time to play games with you. If I had known you would be this difficult to work with, I would have let you sleep on that wall forever."

The man furrowed his brow. "You patched up my wound after I got hit by that truck. Or do you not remember that either?"

Aki looked at the man closely. "The only wound I patched up was a..." She stopped, and her eyes widened in disbelief. "No."

He looked at her questioningly. "So you'll drag a stranger into a tavern, but you won't believe the evidence you're presented with."

"Fluffy?! Seriously?! There’s no way that’s your real name-!"

"Bingo! And, no. That isn't my birth name. But it's the name ya get."

Aki burst out into hysterical laughter. "You? Expect me? To believe you're the fox from earlier?" Receiving a nod of confirmation, she erupted in more laughter and tears, expressing her blatant skepticism. "You know what? Fine. And I'm a phoenix. I have a few decades left before I pass my flame to the next version of myself."

The man rolled his eyes. "Well, believe it or not, it's still the truth."

Aki stopped cackling to wipe her tears, "I'll believe it with some proof."

"What do ya wanna see, lady?"

She crossed her arms and leaned back in her seat, settling into the soft cushioning. "Foxfire."

He looked around the diner, noticing a few people around. "I can't. I don't have enough spiritual energy for that. There's gotta be another way."

She scoffed. "Okay. If you don't wanna show me your fire, show me your fox."

"Right here? Woman, are you insane?!"

"Yes. Yes, I am. For trying to talk to you like you have good sense." She got up from her seat, ready to walk out the door.

"Wait," he sighed, "I'll do it."

As she settled back into her seat, she turned to him, her eyes brimming with an unpleasant mix of doubt and curiosity. "I'm watching."

"Okay." He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. At first, nothing. Yet after a chilling minute of anticipation, a white shimmer enveloped the man, and a cloud of fog quickly arose and dissipated. He opened his eyes and looked at his hands. "Crap," he sighed. Human hands. His gaze slowly trailed from his hands to the woman sitting across from him. To his surprise, she was shocked.

"Y-you... Head... Ears!" She screeched, clasping her hand over her mouth, realizing her mistake. Heads turned to see what the sudden outburst was about as she threw her hat at the man. "Put it on now."

He was quick to follow her instructions despite his own confusion. "What's this for?" He questioned, observing her panicked state.

She lowered her voice. "You spontaneously sprouted fox ears on your head, and you expect me not to sound or look surprised?!"

He grinned slyly. "Now, do ya believe me, sweetheart?" She nodded slowly. "Good, 'cause I don't lie."

Aki couldn't shake the surprise off her face. She was absolutely dumbfounded. While she pondered what had just transpired, her train of thought was interrupted by someone else.

"Can I get y'all something?" a raspy yet cheerful voice asked.

Before Aki had time to answer, Fluffy replied eagerly, "Yes! Can I get a..." He looked at the menu, "What's a cheeseburger and fries? Well, whatever it is, I want it. With a cup of water, please." The waitress nodded and looked at Aki, who had decided to only order a lemonade.

As the waitress turned away, Aki asked the question she had been wondering ever since they walked through the door. "You're not from here, are you?"

Fluffy looked at her, curious eyes becoming dull. "No... Well, yes. I'm... from this place, however, not this time. Even my time is not like the time back then. I come from this world, yet not this dimension."

Aki's expression was serious. Yet her mind was racing, and so was her heart. Crazy. She was definitely crazy. Maybe she had taken too many painkillers, or maybe the waitress spiked her lemonade. Perhaps she was simply that sleep-deprived, and now she was hallucinating. She groaned into her hands as she tried to take in everything. After some time of convincing herself she wasn't losing it, she turned to look at the strange person in front of her, who was currently inhaling his burger and playing with his fries. "So... Why are you here then, Mr. I'm-Not-Of-This-Time? Let alone looking for me- Hmmm?"

He looked up, raising an eyebrow. "Ya know, I'm not exactly sure...- I don't remember much..."

"Well, then. Tell me what you do remember."

"I remember waking up on your couch all bandaged up. Following you around to gather information didn't really benefit me, so I left to find my family. But I can't sense them, and I happened to pick up your scent…-"

"No, Fluffy-" Interrupting him, Aki leaned in close, eyes stern and demanding. "Start from the beginning."