emperor?”
He does have a point, Sanae said. If it weren’t for the fact bringing her back to our world is hurting everybody else, I’d be cheering for Inari.
Hachiro pointed an accusing finger at her. “You! You stole Momonga !”
What—The flying squirrel is named “flying squirrel”? Really?
Hachiro paused. “You’re right. He would be confused if we were talking about other squirrels. ‘Momo’ would be better.” The accusing finger came out again. “You stole Momo!”
Go ahead and take him back. I don’t want him.
The big man slumped. “I must respect his wishes. He has reasons to prefer you, for you helped him most.” Whirling, he pointed at Akakiba. “Fight me!”
The scribe’s arrival was probably not a coincidence. He had his “I hate you all” scowl on. “You may not fight each other with swords. Especially not these swords. Especially not when either party is drunk. Anyone found initiating such a fight will have his swords taken away. Am I clear?” He didn’t wait for answers. “I will take custody of the girl now. The captain is waiting to meet her. He will ensure she reaches her destination safely.”
Under normal circumstances, Jien might have been leery of entrusting a small girl to strange men. But this one had inbuilt defenses. If the captain weren’t an honorable man, the girl’s “mother” would react violently.
The little girl went without a word, but she did turn and wave at Aito as she walked away with her hand hidden in the scribe’s elegant one. There it was, proof the scribe was one of those people whose terrible attitude concealed soft spots. They really ought to find out what the scribe’s name was.
“Heyyy, wait,” he said, belatedly noticing something else. “Aito, why do you get a wave for repeatedly pricking her with a needle, but I don’t get one for saving her life on the cliff?”
“Mystery,” Aito murmured.
“What does that mean, exactly?”
He forgot about the matter the second he realized Akakiba had gotten to his feet to stand in Hachiro’s personal space. Somebody was trying to provoke a fight and that somebody wasn’t even him!
“You heard the scribe,” Akakiba said. “No fighting. You and your paranoid delusions may leave.”
Hachiro’s teeth ground together audibly. “Is this how you address the valid worries of your future battle companions?”
“Unfounded accusations are not valid. We have never given humans cause to distrust us. You would know this if your muscles weren’t so oversized they squeeze out your wits.”
Hachiro’s eyes darted aside, as if checking whether the scribe was anywhere near. His desire to stab Akakiba was painfully obvious. Akakiba’s desire to get him to draw first was pretty obvious, too.
Jien clapped his hands loudly. “What about me? I also have complaints about my honor! In your eagerness to brand the foxes potential traitors to the human race, you forgot Great Temple monks are their allies. Are you calling us traitors, too, or are you implying we’re too dumb to distinguish ally from enemy?”
“A man with too kind a heart may be tricked by the wicked,” Hachiro said.
“A man with too few wits may resort to easy and baseless accusations,” Jien shot back.
The big man’s frown was like a brewing thunderstorm. “I have no quarrel with you, monk.”
“When you have a quarrel with my comrades, you have a quarrel with me.” Jien unfolded his tall body, leaving his spear on the ground. “I’m past tired of your insults.”
The scribe said no fighting, Sanae said. Is anybody going to listen? I suppose not.
“Scribe never said we weren’t allowed to fight, only that we couldn’t fight with swords. Aki’s a true swordsman, but I’m not difficult.” Jien flexed his hands and rolled them into fists. “Try me, big guy. You’re loud, but is that all you’ve got?”
Hachiro shoved the Soul Eater at Akakiba, who made a noise like a snarl and passed it on to Aito, who dropped it
He does have a point, Sanae said. If it weren’t for the fact bringing her back to our world is hurting everybody else, I’d be cheering for Inari.
Hachiro pointed an accusing finger at her. “You! You stole Momonga !”
What—The flying squirrel is named “flying squirrel”? Really?
Hachiro paused. “You’re right. He would be confused if we were talking about other squirrels. ‘Momo’ would be better.” The accusing finger came out again. “You stole Momo!”
Go ahead and take him back. I don’t want him.
The big man slumped. “I must respect his wishes. He has reasons to prefer you, for you helped him most.” Whirling, he pointed at Akakiba. “Fight me!”
The scribe’s arrival was probably not a coincidence. He had his “I hate you all” scowl on. “You may not fight each other with swords. Especially not these swords. Especially not when either party is drunk. Anyone found initiating such a fight will have his swords taken away. Am I clear?” He didn’t wait for answers. “I will take custody of the girl now. The captain is waiting to meet her. He will ensure she reaches her destination safely.”
Under normal circumstances, Jien might have been leery of entrusting a small girl to strange men. But this one had inbuilt defenses. If the captain weren’t an honorable man, the girl’s “mother” would react violently.
The little girl went without a word, but she did turn and wave at Aito as she walked away with her hand hidden in the scribe’s elegant one. There it was, proof the scribe was one of those people whose terrible attitude concealed soft spots. They really ought to find out what the scribe’s name was.
“Heyyy, wait,” he said, belatedly noticing something else. “Aito, why do you get a wave for repeatedly pricking her with a needle, but I don’t get one for saving her life on the cliff?”
“Mystery,” Aito murmured.
“What does that mean, exactly?”
He forgot about the matter the second he realized Akakiba had gotten to his feet to stand in Hachiro’s personal space. Somebody was trying to provoke a fight and that somebody wasn’t even him!
“You heard the scribe,” Akakiba said. “No fighting. You and your paranoid delusions may leave.”
Hachiro’s teeth ground together audibly. “Is this how you address the valid worries of your future battle companions?”
“Unfounded accusations are not valid. We have never given humans cause to distrust us. You would know this if your muscles weren’t so oversized they squeeze out your wits.”
Hachiro’s eyes darted aside, as if checking whether the scribe was anywhere near. His desire to stab Akakiba was painfully obvious. Akakiba’s desire to get him to draw first was pretty obvious, too.
Jien clapped his hands loudly. “What about me? I also have complaints about my honor! In your eagerness to brand the foxes potential traitors to the human race, you forgot Great Temple monks are their allies. Are you calling us traitors, too, or are you implying we’re too dumb to distinguish ally from enemy?”
“A man with too kind a heart may be tricked by the wicked,” Hachiro said.
“A man with too few wits may resort to easy and baseless accusations,” Jien shot back.
The big man’s frown was like a brewing thunderstorm. “I have no quarrel with you, monk.”
“When you have a quarrel with my comrades, you have a quarrel with me.” Jien unfolded his tall body, leaving his spear on the ground. “I’m past tired of your insults.”
The scribe said no fighting, Sanae said. Is anybody going to listen? I suppose not.
“Scribe never said we weren’t allowed to fight, only that we couldn’t fight with swords. Aki’s a true swordsman, but I’m not difficult.” Jien flexed his hands and rolled them into fists. “Try me, big guy. You’re loud, but is that all you’ve got?”
Hachiro shoved the Soul Eater at Akakiba, who made a noise like a snarl and passed it on to Aito, who dropped it
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