(wag itong baguhin, isulat ito sa tagalog at gawing mas maganda na story )

"There. All finished..."

I've just finished making a giant pile of Inari Sushi and start to clean up the kitchen.

I've been a few days since Miyabi told me, 'Don't speak so brazenly.'

A lowly human... I've always figured as much, but Miyabi really hates human...

Well, who could blame him... He's suffered so much for being half ayakashi that he thinks he should never have been born...

The moment when Miyabi rejected me suddenly comes back to me. It makes me sad whenever I think of it.

But being depressed about it won't solve anything.

All I can do is encourage him to open up to me...

"Inari sushi..." Miyabi pops into the kitchen.

"You said some awful things to me, but I can still lure you with Inari sushi..." Me.

"Whatever, just hand over the sushi. I'm hungry." Miyabi.

"You don't have to eat them, you know...?" Me.

"Then why'd you make so many? You made them for me to eat, didn't you?" Miyabi.

"I'd be happy to give them to Ikumi tomorrow. Or I could bring them into work for everybody to eat. I'd tell them I made too much." Me.

"...You are a truly wicked person." Miyabi.

"It takes one to know one." Me.

His dissatisfaction is apparent, but in the end, he comes over next to me and stuffs his mouth full of sushi.

"You really like it. But not plain fried tofu?" Me.

"No flavor." Miyabi.

"Hey, do you have Inari sushi in the mononoke village?" Me.

"We probably first had them when you humans left them as offerings to the divine messenger at shrines. They're far better than fried tofu. And anyway, fried tofu's got no rice so it's not that filling. You're a big eater for someone so thin." Miyabi.

These few days since Miyabi rejected me, we haven't had a real conversation.

Finally we're back to talking...

But still, Miyabi hasn't touched me once since that day.

He hasn't tried anything with me since we came back from the mononoke village...

Has he stopped touching me...? Is this how it's going to be from now on with us...?

"Come to think of it... you haven't been coming in to the library lately." Me.

"I don't have to be in that building to protect you. If anything happens, I'll protect you. You have nothing to worry about." Miyabi.

"Then why were you staying so close to me before?" Me.

"To get to know the place where you work. I've finished surveying the interior. There's no need for me to stay so close anymore." Miyabi.

No need... Even though he used to tell me to stay within his sight.

"But the way... there's not a lot of flavor in the Inari sushi today." Miyabi.

"Oh? There's not?" Me.

"Give it more flavor next time." Miyabi complains, then leaves the kitchen.

"Wait... Where are you going?" Me.

"Do I have to tell you?" Miyabi.

"What... N-no, but..." I cast my eyes downward, and Miyabi disappears into the hall without turning to look at me.

He's acting totally different... Talking doesn't make a difference.

Miyabi's keeping his distance, rejecting me, so that I don't get in his head.

"Maybe I said more than I should've. Talking like I know about him, just like Miyabi said..." 

Nothing I said wasn't true.

But I guess it was something Miyabi didn't want me to touch...

--

It's been a few days, and Miyabi's behavior hasn't changed.

"Samon, give me more." Shinra.

"Okay, just give me one second..." Samon.

"Meat. I love this. But if I were being really picky, I'd say steak would've been better than burgers." Kyoga.

"Don't be like that. It took a lot of work to make this. Right, Luna?" Samon.

"Thanks, Samon..." Me.

Miyabi's at least still eating with everyone, but whereas he used to call shotgun on the seat next to me, now he sits as far away from me as possible.

I can't believe he's avoiding me so blatantly...

"...This is so depressing." Shinra.

"Huh?" Me.

"Yeah. We should have more fun at dinner." Kyoga.

"Um... I'm sorry. I'm bringing everyone else down." Me.

"It's not you." Shinra.

"Chikage. Smile." Yukinojo.

"Excuse me?" Chikage.

"Look at that! Not bad." Shinra.

"Chikage smiles so rarely. When he does, it really lights up the room." Samon.

"Come on, Luna's smile is better than Chikage's." Kyoga.

"I think so, too." Chikage.

Everyone's acting really nice... Could it be they're worried about me?

"Alright, Yuki. You tickle Chikage from that side." Shinra.

"I guess we have no choice. Somebody needs a pick me up." Yukinojo.

"Stop it. There's no reason for you to be doing this..." Chikage.

"Try a little, Chikage. Make the room a little brighter." Kyoga.

"Hey. You're not really..." Chikage.

Everyone laughs and tries to tickle Chikage when...

I hear a slam and see Miyabi stand up.

"Miyabi... What's wrong?" Me.

"I finished eating. I'm going back to my room. That's it." Miyabi.

"Seriously? You only ate Inari sushi." Shinra.

"I'll be in my room. Call if something happens." Miyabi says while avoiding eye contact with me.

"Huh? Um... Okay." Me.

"He left." Yukinojo.

"He's been in quiet the mood lately..." Samon.

"So did you guys have a fight?" Shinra.

"I don't know if I'd call it a fight... He's just been avoiding me." Me.

"Ah, that Miyabi. Still making girls cry." Kyoga.

The look on Miyabi's face just now was so cold...

Maybe... Maybe I shouldn't have said anything...

"The house feels so gloomy when Luna's depressed." Yukinojo.

"That's true... It's because she's always smiling." Samon. 

"So, what? Now we have to clean this up?" Shinra.

"Nothing good will come of you being like that." Chikage.

"Look, it's all Miyabi's fault, no matter how you look at this. We should sacrifice him to bring back Luna's smile." Kyoga.

"U-um..." Me.

"It's fine. Leave it to us!" Shinra.

They all stop paying attention to me and start enthusiastically planning their strategy.

Uh oh. What the heck are they plotting...?