A dog or a wolf?

Part 1.

It was a sunny Friday morning.

"Yawn…"

"You seem sleepy, Suzuki."

"Yeah…"

On his seat, Suzuki Ren yawned as he looked outside the window, glancing at the nothingness of the air. As bored as a child on a hot day, he supported his head with one hand.

"I didn't sleep well yesterday."

"Hmm... Did something happen?"

"Not really."

Ren remembered the encounter he had with a certain white fox.

"Is that so? Maybe you just had insomnia."

On the seat next to him, Yukihira Ayumi spoke in a carefree way while she tidied her bluish pencil case, organizing her pens by color.

"Why do you have such a collection of pens?" Ren questioned, now looking at how fast the girl moved her hands.

"It's my hobby."

"Hobby…"

"Collecting pens isn't that unusual. To be frank, I've seen stranger hobbies before. A cousin of mine likes to collect rocks."

"Collecting rocks? That's for sure strange. Is he a kid?"

"No, he's a geologist."

"..."

Ayumi tried to hold back her laughter, but a small chuckle escaped her lips. Influenced by her cheerfulness, Ren flashed a subtle smile.

"What are your hobbies, Suzuki?"

"Well, nothing out of normal for a boy my age."

"That doesn't seem the case. You like martial arts, right? You're probably the only boy in this class who does."

"Wait, how do you know that?"

"Have you never heard that an experienced fighter walks differently from ordinary people? You know, because they balance their point of gravity. I can notice that difference. It isn't that hard if you make an effort."

Noticing that kind of thing could not be accomplished by "making an effort." The difference was minimal. One would need a keen perception to see such things.

What was she, a professional martial artist?

"My grandparents used to encourage me to fight, so they enrolled me in diverse practicing places when I was a kid, " Ren said, oblivious to Ayumi's incredible sight. "But it's not like I'm practicing currently, though."

"Ohh, your grandparents did? So cool!"

"Yeah, my grandmother was a judo champion or something like that. I can't exactly remember it."

They rapidly ran out of ideas to talk, and silence predominated between the two for a moment. The mood eventually got odd, so Ren urgently sought a new subject.

"So, Yukihira-san, what did you do with that dog?"

"I didn't tell you? Hana and I entrusted her to an elderly couple. They run an animal adoption center. I'll pass you the address if you want to pay a visit to them."

"Thanks."

"Hehe. You didn't look like a person who likes animals, Suzuki. It's a bit surprising."

"Seriously? What do I seem to like for you?"

"You look like someone who likes to start a fight for any trivial reason or someone whose hobby is destroying abandoned buildings. Something on that way."

"So basically a delinquent... Is that how you see me?"

An image of delinquent was quite stereotyped, thus considerably easy to run away. Ren was sure that he did not have any traits that would make him look like one.

But was he wrong? Did he build that image over his life without even noticing?

"A-am I wrong?" Ayumi doubted. "I mean, you do look a bit like a delinquent."

"Do I really pass that image to people?!"

"That's the image I got from you."

"Why? Is it my hair? My clothing? Maybe it is time for a serious change of looks."

"I'd say it's everything," she blatantly declared. "Anyway, why are you so desperate about it? There are some girls who like delinquent guys, aren't there?"

In a moment, Dumbfounded Ren turned into Serious Ren. He brought his hand to his chin and faced the outside of the classroom as if he were some contemporary philosopher contemplating the sky.

"Hmm, I may have overreacted about it," he admitted in a weirdly elegant voice.

"What's that change of thinking!?"

Ren briefly sighed as if indicating the end of that conversation.

For context, they were waiting for their homeroom teacher to arrive while distracting themselves by joking around.

"I wonder if something happened to Yoshida-sensei. She seems like a teacher that would work even if it was raining meteors."

"You got a rather wrong idea of her, Suzuki," Ayumi replied. She finally finished tidying up her pens collection. "Actually, you're correct about one thing. She would come even in a meteor rain, but she would be late, for sure. It's ironic how she rarely arrives in time but is one of the best teachers in this school."

𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘺 𝘱𝘰𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸. 𝘌𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘺𝘴. She added with an unnatural emphasis.

"Well, it's not a surprise, to be honest."

"You don't seem that excited about it."

"She's a good woman, so she must have a husband, right?"

"You have a point. Though it would be no problem if you're into 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 kind of thing."

"Hey, don't say things that might compromise my reputation out loud."

"Well, I don't think she's married, though."

"I'm afraid that fact won't change my situation."

"Ahaha! True!"

With a lively laugh, Ayumi swiftly ended the trivial discussion.

"But Yoshida-sensei is really taking longer than usual. Something might have happened."

Ayumi was about to rise from her seat when someone opened the classroom sliding from outside.

Casually entering the local was a woman with long wavy dark hair and a stern look. She held three thick books under her arm.

"Okay, class, I'm more inspired than yesterday, so let's begin!"

Part 2.

"I wish I could cook..." Ren muttered while munching the food Kuriko had made for him.

After a relatively productive class, mainly because of Yoshida-sensei's good mood, they were now at their lunch break.

"Kuriko-chan told me you know how to cook," Ayumi spoke, also munching her own food.

"But not as well as her... Your food looks tasty as well."

"It is, though it was not made by me—by the way, there is no way I would give you some."

"Oh, c'mon! I didn't even ask it yet. Can you read minds?"

"It was written on your face."

The food Ayumi was eating was, indeed, delicious, justified by the happy face she displayed after every piece she put in her mouth. Also, there was a price sticker that showed a value that far surpassed a meal's ideal costs.

Rich people were for sure different.

"So, Yukihira-san, just out of curiosity, why do you spend so much time with me? I mean, you have other friends, right? We just met yesterday..."

"I don't really know it either," gulp—she swallowed more of the glamorous food. "I-I guess it's fun to be with you..." She bashfully declared as she averted her gaze.

"Wh-what...?"

It was such a surprising reply that Ren could not avoid his food from falling off. He felt a dangerous throb at his heart that might have confused any cardiologist.

"Oho? So that's how I raise a flag on you. I see..." Ayumi asserted as she laughed diabolically.

"Do-don't play with this kind of things!"

To hide his embarrassment, Ren quickly looked in the opposite direction and got back to eating.

Perhaps just saying "embarrassed" would not be enough to define how he was now. Assume that having the ability to turn redder than a beet was a talent of his

"Haha! I'm just kidding!" She affirmed. "Well, having met you just yesterday is the reason why I'm sticking to you. I make sure all the new students in my class get comfortable."

"Is that so? You sure are a good person, Yukihira-san. I guess that's the student council for you."

"Hehe, you flatter me. But that said, once I decide that you're comfortable enough, I'll get back to my usual group."

"Yeah, maybe I'll need some other friends."

"Oh, isn't this a good opportunity? Suzuki, would you like to come to the park after school? Another group of students called me, and also president. They said we could invite anyone."

It was a good proposal, to which Ren demonstrated apparent interest.

But he would not be able to go due to a problem.

"I'd like to go, but I already got something to do after school."

The way he put it made it look like a simple excuse, but it was not.

He could not say it to anyone, but he had an appointment (?) with an otherwordly fox that resided in the ruined temple over the mountains.

"Okay. Maybe Kuriko-chan would like to go. Can you tell her when you meet?"

"Sure," Ren replied with a nod.

Part 3.

"Ah, Onii-chan," Kuriko uttered the moment her brother entered her field of vision.

She had been chatting with other girls from her class, but she immediately ran in Ren's direction.

It seemed he was yet to notice her. Realizing that, Kuriko slowly approached him from behind, grabbed his hand, and dragged him.

"Wh-what?" Ren let out an alarmed voice but calmed himself after seeing who was pulling him.

Before he noticed, he was in front of some girls that looked like Kuriko's friends. He tried to sound like a cool older brother, but his performance failed. So Kuriko just smiled and waved while forcefully pushing him out of there.

After passing the school front gate, Kuriko briefly sighed before thumping Ren with her elbow.

"Onii-chan, you could have spoken something, you know..."

"I-it's not my fault. You caught me off guard,"

"Well, I guess it's my bad. I shouldn't have dragged you in."

"Yeah, you just made me look like an idiot."

"But you're an idiot."

"..."

After that exchange of words, the two climbed on Ren's bicycle. He placed his hands on the handlebars and began to drive while Kuriko sat on the improvised chair-like thing and held him from the back.

"Ah yes, Kuriko. Yukihira-san invited you to some event in the park today."

"An event? That's cool. But I'm sure she didn't only invite me."

"Well, she did invite me, but you know me. I'm no good at that matter. Besides, I already have something to do."

"Something to do, you say. What is it, have you met someone?" Kuriko ironically said while poking Ren's cheeks—which was quite dangerous since they were on a busy street.

"Yes."

"What?!"

Kuriko got taken aback and almost lost her grip. She managed to recover just before losing her balance.

"Oh, but it's not a girl. Don't go imagining so quick."

Ren read Kuriko like an open book, quickly crushing her expectations.

"Ack...! I wasn't doing that."

"You were."

"W-well, that aside," she indifferently changed the topic. "You made a friend. That's good for you, Onii-chan. Let's see, that's why you got late yesterday?"

"Yeah, I was chatting with him when you called."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"Don't worry."

After a few minutes, they stopped in front of the building where they lived.

"You got the keys?"

"I think so."

Kuriko rummaged her bag and pulled a cute keychain out of it. So after leaving the versatile bicycle in a specific area, they climbed the stairs until they reached their apartment. Using one of the two keys attached to the keychain, Kuriko smoothly unlocked the door.

"Waah! We're finally home!" Kuriko cheered as she entered.

"Dont's say it as if we just arrived from a long trip."

She immediately jumped on the sofa and turned on the TV. It was showing a local news program.

"Do you want a cup of milk?"

"I'll pass."

"Okay."

Ren went to the kitchen, which was just on another hall, and got himself a glass of milk. However, when he heard the TV program, the cup almost dropped from his hand.

"Yesterday, three men identified as delinquents were found incapacitated in an alley near downtown. The police received an anonymous report and quickly headed to the place..." The woman in the news program announced.

"Three delinquents, huh? Are they from a gang? What do you think, Onii-chan?" Kuriko asked from the couch.

"Uh? Yes, you're probably right."

Ren pretended not to know what that was about and just tagged along.

Despite the short explanation, it was clear that the news program was reporting the fight he had yesterday. It would be too big of a coincidence if another situation that met the description given occurred on the same day.

The woman on the TV continued, "Images from a convenience store camera reveal one man arriving and leaving from the local. The evidence suggests that this unidentified man executed justice by his own hands, hence the incapacitated delinquents. Although, due to the lack of injuries on the victims, the culprit presumably acted unarmed. The reasons that might have culminated in such an act are still unknown, and the police persist in their search."

"Are they victimizing delinquents?" Kuriko thought aloud. "Still, it's considerably impressive that one unarmed guy alone won against three opponents."

"I-indeed."

The woman gave Ren no time interval, "As a matter of fact, it is unlikely that the police department will continue the investigation thoroughly. Given the background of the delinquents, acquired by proper interrogation, the possibility that a rival group plotted the attack is incontestable..."

"Look at that. These disputes are common even here."

"..."

Ren stayed silent.

He had thought he would asphyxiate on his uncertainty.

"How lucky am I?"

He had overreacted.

It was a small town—where everything could become news. It was doubtful that a small quarrel would lead to a major commotion.

He could not be led astray by journalistic sensationalism

Nevertheless, he could not afford to talk with Kuriko in that matter. He could let slip a foolish commentary as he was terrible at hiding things from his sister.

Ren dashed to the front door in order to leave.

Kuriko found it strange, so she asked, "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to meet with my friend."

"Oh, okay."

The word "friend" prevented any further objections.

"I'm leaving."

"Bye!" Kuriko answered without looking at him, totally glued to the program, showing an odd interest.

Part 4.

As always, he climbed up the stairs without revealing any signs of exhaustion.

"Ah, you really came!"

On the top of the mountain, Ren spotted a beautiful fox with white fur shaking its tail back and forth. The fox rested on the shrine grounds looking like a pet waiting for its master.

It was Haiji, the wandering spirit.

"Hello, Haiji-san."

"Hello, how are you doing?"

"As good as a frog on the riverbank."

Ren had somehow gotten used to Haiji's voice echoing in his head—it was difficult to understand how it worked, so he just gave up on trying and accepted it.

"Um, you know, if it weren't for your voice, you would be the cutest creature ever."

"Do you dislike my voice?"

"No, I really like it. It reminds me of a certain singer. I meant it doesn't fit your appearance."

"You think so?"

"Yep," Ren nodded. "If you had a voice that suited your appearance, you would look like a mascot directly from a TV show meant for children."

"I don't know if this is good or bad..."

"Regardless, your voice is pleasant to hear—so, what are we going to talk about today?" Ren asked as he approached Haiji, going for the same boulder he had sat the previous day.

"What's in that bag you're holding?"

"Some snacks I bought at a convenience store on my way here. Do you want some?"

Haiji shook his head in disagreement.

The two of them began chatting without a real goal. Ren discussed human things that Haiji did not understand, and Haiji said some spiritual things that Ren could not understand either.

They seemed like two college friends that ended working in the same corporation in adult life.

But then Haiji asked something.

"Ren-dono, do you believe in magic?"

"Magic...? Well, like spirits, my grandparents told me tales about magic, though it was all child's play. But, well, if ghosts and spirits are real..."

Ren remembered tiny image flashes from his childhood. He tried to ignore the blur provided by the time but could not win over it. Imported by his kid brain and influenced by his fertile imagination, he could not distinguish what was real and what was not.

"As you see, I'm not a strong spirit, so I can't use large-scale magic. But magic does exist. After all, there are no spirits without magic."

"Hmm..."

Spirits were magical beings—without magic, how could they live?

Ren could not help but wonder if he had heard that sentence in a TV show before.

However, interrupting their talk before it even started, strange sounds appeared, coming from the direction of the stairway.

"Pant... Pant..."

Someone was panting with brief pauses, almost like a pattern.

Haiji looked unconcerned. He muttered, "I guess we have to interrupt ourselves for now."

"Yeah..."

The panting became louder. Forthwith, the person who had been climbing arrived below the torii gate.

Ren did not recognize them. It was a woman with beautiful dark hair that supported her Asian image. She also wore traditional clothes that made her look like a shrine maiden. But that aside, something else stood out.

𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘱𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥.

Seemingly canine ears

"I-I'm going to k-kill the... bastard who-" she gasped for breath before continuing, "...who made this..."

Despite the unexpected scene, Haiji welcomed, "Oh, so you're finally back."

Despite the novel sight, Ren was not that astonished. He could not shake the feeling of familiarity he sensed from the half-human (?).

"Ren-dono, she's the friend I had told you—also the guardian of this temple. Her name is—Rui."

Immediately after that, Rui made her move.

In a blink of an eye, she 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘥 to Haiji. So fast that Ren could only see an afterimage.

The fact that she used a superhuman speed to kneel was rather disappointing.

"Haijiiiii!! Please, help me!! I'm so hungry!! I'm starving!"

She screamed with tears in her eyes, like a baby craving for its mother's breasts.

"Stop with this scandal."

Haiji manifested no interest in her pleas. Instead, he just shoved her away with his paw.

Ren's only choice was to watch such an uncomfortable scene that somehow diminished Rui's appearance.

People say that a woman can recognize a man's gaze, but Rui only detected Ren after he had thoroughly examined her outer appearance.

That said, she did not see exactly him, but the bag he was holding.

She moved her teary eyes to it, suggesting one idea to Ren.

"H-hey, do you want some?" He offered as he pointed to the bag with his free hand.

Rui nodded a few times in quick succession.

Ren took a cheap sandwich from the bag and generously presented it to Rui.

She instantly stopped crying as she hastily took it from his hands.

"Are you calmer now?" Asked Haiji, looking exasperated.

After swallowing it all, Rui placed a hand on her belly, evidencing that she was grateful for that meal.

"Fuwah! I needed that. You have my gratitude, human." She said—but shortly after she inspected the one before her, she erased her smile and furrowed her eyebrows, exclaiming, "Wait... A human!?"

"You left me no space to introduce him when you suddenly broke down crying," Haiji complained. "This boy's name is Suzuki Ren. He's a human who is sensitive to spirits. I was chatting with him just some moments ago."

"Hello, n-nice to meet you," Ren awkwardly greeted, still not totally used to supernatural presences.

"Suzuki Ren, hmm...? Well, I'm Rui, a guardian spirit. Though, you seem familiar to me..."

Approaching Ren, Rui held her chin with a hand as if thinking deeply.

"Whoa?!" Ren stepped back.

"Don't be scared. I won't bite."

"O-okay..."

Now close to her, the boundaries that the clothing provided were meaningless. It was unimaginable not to see the voluminous bulk on the upper side of her body, notably because her outfit exhibited more skin than it should.

And as expected of a spirit with no human knowledge, she did not wear a bra. Ren unintentionally averted his eyes—that kind of sight was dangerous for a boy his age.

"Yep, I remember you now," Rui declared as she nodded. "The world truly is small."

"Excuse me? I don't remember ever seeing you in my life."

"Well, of course you wouldn't remember me. To be exact, you did not see me in this humanoid form but in my original one." She continued, almost in a sneer, "but I will remember you, for my whole life—you're the human that promised me food and never game me, after all."

"What?"

"Don't mind her," Haiji warned. "She acts like a child most of the time."

Nearly instantly, Rui hit Haiji's head, saying, I don't act like a child! It was an action so childish that Ren slightly grinned.

"Let me change my affirmation," Rui said. "What if I said: you're the human who saved my life."

Ren still had a blank expression, not understanding what she meant. He forced his mind to overwork to find a memory about a spirit other than Haiji.

"Ugh... Rui-san? You're a spirit, right? So it's questionable we have ever met before."

"No, no. At that time, I was in my physical form. You know, of a normal wolf."

Ren was about to tilt his head in confusion, but an image that reverberated in his memory prevented it.

A wolf he had saved.

A wolf he had promised food but never gave it.

Wait, a wolf?

He had never seen a wolf in his life.

"Ahn... I'm still pretty confused."

"Oh, honestly! How can you not remember a feeble little dog you saved from the hands of evil yesterday!?"

"Ah."

If this were a comic book, a lightbulb would have popped on top of Ren's head.

He remembered. How could he not remember?

"Seems like you've remembered, huh?" Rui assumed after reading Ren's reaction. "Frankly, I thought I would never meet you again. Foolish me, haha! To think that you were sensitive to spirits, perhaps that's why my call reached you. Well, I can't complain about this development."

"Wait, wait, wait. Are you saying you were that dog!?" Ren excitedly exclaimed.

"I am no dog. I'm a wolf. Anyway, thanks for that. If it wasn't for you, I doubt I'd be standing here today."

Ren ignored the wolf woman (?) and started to create illusions, "I saved a spirit? A ghost? Whoaaa! Kuriko's never going to believe it even if I told her! What's going to happen now? Am I going to be hunted by the inquisition?!"

Paying no heed to Ren's delusions, Haiji and Rui carried on their conversation.

"Rui-sama, why were you in your physical form in the first place? It's surprising that you have already met, but how exactly did he save your life?"

"Actually, I was attacked by someone or something that not even I could see, leaving me in a weakened state, thus my physical form. Then, some possessed humans located me and started beating me up. The boy was passing by, so I tried calling him. It worked, so he beat them up, saving me. Did you get it?"

"No, not all. But I understood."

"Great."

Rui carefreely reported, as if it were an event that happened once or twice a week. Ren could only wish it was an impression.

"Rui-san, you said 'possed'? What does it mean?" Ren asked with a silly face, embarrassed after finally shattering his illusions.

"How should I put it...?" Rui scratched her head and displayed an annoyed expression. "You see, ordinary humans would not be able to notice my presence even in my physical form. Those people had some external help. They weren't really possessed, as no one was controlling their body. They were receiving suggestions, instructions, or whatever, to kill me. Moreover, the 'suggestions' weakened their state of mind, obscuring their senses. Well, I did suggest you for helping me, but I did not force you. It was a 'call'."

𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘩𝘦𝘯𝘥. 𝘠𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯, she finished.

An evil spirit was "possessing" those men Ren had fought with by suggesting them.

So did he act as an exorcist by knocking them out?

"Oh, they are probably still in influence of that evil spirit. I can only hope they have someone to pray for them."

He did not.

"I-I see..."

"But Rui-sama, have you achieved what you were trying to?" Haiji, who had been only listening, asked.

"Nope," Rui straightforwardly answered. "That reminds me, boy. You have something that's mine."

"Something that's yours? When I, uh, met you, there was indeed an object. A thick book."

"That's it. Is it with you now?"

"No, I left it at home."

"Is it safe?"

"I think so. I left it in my room, so the chance of anyone finding it is small."

"No problem then. You can bring it to me anytime. I'm exhausted and bored, so let's talk. What were you and Haiji talking about?"

"I was going to explain magic to him," Haiji replied.

"Hm, I see. In this case, I would like to contribute to the conversation as well."

"..."

"What, you don't like it?"

"Do as you please..."

"Thank you."

"Good luck, Ren-dono."

Ren tilted his head, not understanding Haiji's comment.

Right after that, Rui began her explanation.

"Okay, to begin with, magic is like oxygen or some other gas you humans need to live," Rui said, pointing her index finger upwards as she spun it.

"....."

Ren just listened to what she had to say.

"It's everywhere; in the air, in the water, in the plants. Magic is life. It's no small concept as you humans represent in your culture," Rui said smugly. "There are humans that can manipulate magic, though, of course, they are the minority in the world. It's rare to see a blessed by the universe nowadays."

Rui's love for magic was quite explicit. She did not hold back when talking about it. She was a being born from magic, after all.

"...."

"There are those who can't freely use magical power, like Haiji. But, every one of us spirits has a connection with it. Um, are you understanding me? Am I taliking too much?"

"Uh... No, no, don't worry."

"In that case, I'll continue." After clearing her throat, she went on, "In this age, humans who can use magic are still called magicians or sorcerers, right? I don't know for sure."

"Well, probably yes. It's not like I've seen one in my life."

Ren did not know about the occult. The little he knew was what he saw in games and movies, although almost everything turned out to be incorrect.

"It's unlikely that the human government wouldn't keep the existence of magic a secret from the normal public. It can be quite the weapon of destruction in the wrong hands."

Pondering about the capacities of magic, Ren did not refrain from asking, "Hey, would I be able to use magic?"

"Hm, probably not. One must have a 𝘱𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘰𝘮 𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘯 to manipulate magic—be it a magical being or a human. Not even I know how it works, but it's basically what stores one's magical power. It's similar to a stomach."

"Urgh..."

Ren was expecting that since the topic went to magic, but having his expectations destroyed was sad nonetheless.

Magic was not as simple as it looked.

"Buuuuut! Even if you don't own a phantom organ, it's not impossible. There comes the indirect magic manipulation!"

"?"

"If you make a contract with a spirit, like me, you'd be able to use magic through the spirit's phantom organ."

"Really? But how do I make a contract?"

"I don't really know. I've never made one before," Rui shrugged, "I've received a lot of contract requests over my life, but I refused all of them."

"All of them..."

Rui smiled ironically and continued the conversation.

"Magic is used mainly in three ways; physical enhancement magic, elemental magic, and summoning magic. There are other types like defensive or healing magic, but they're not that relevant..."

Rui's lecture went on. Ren learned many new things—some of them he would never have believed it was true.

There were magical organisms, magical organizations, magical items, and a lot more. Rui had a decent knowledge about them, and she passed it to Ren, who sometimes could not get what she said.

The way Rui spoke about those sorts of things reminded Ren of his grandfather.

Eventually, Haiji fell asleep while they were talking.

"Talking about magical items, Rui-san, what was that book with you? You told me that it's yours. Is it a grimoire?"

"I don't really know. Someone gave me that a long time ago, but it was blank when I took a look at it. Well, I guess it's a grimoire. That's why I need you to return it to me."

"If you'd like, I can go home, take it, and then come here again."

"You do not need to do this now."

"Okay. Then, I'll bring it tomorrow."

"Are you coming tomorrow too?"

"Sure, why not?"

The sun was already setting, and a bright orange covered the sky.

Ren's cellphone rang.

He picked it up from his pocket and saw that the one calling was Kuriko.

She simply called asking if Ren was not coming home.

"Do you have to go?" Haiji, waking up from his slumber, was the first to ask as he was familiar with the scene.

"Yeah..." Ren said, getting up from his boulder seat.

He said goodbye to the two spirits and quickly climbed down the gigantic stairway.

Part 5.

At the moment he arrived home, the sun had already set.

"The dinner's ready. I didn't know when you would come, so I called you." Kuriko remarked.

Ren nodded and went to his room. He needed to see something as soon as possible.

A book.

A magical book.

A grimoire.

He had picked it when he helped an injured dog (or wolf), that was actually a spirit, the day before.

He went to his wardrobe and started searching for it. In the pile of clothes, his hand eventually touched something more solid than cloth.

"This is it...?"

He pulled it out and analyzed it.

The peculiar book had its entire cover out of leather. It was thick. It also seemed old, definitely a few centuries old.

It had no title.

It was a plain leather cover, nothing written on it.

Ren got curious about what was within. Rui had told him its pages were blank, but could it really be?

He felt hesitant. It was something mystical, novel to him.

His curiosity spoke louder.

He slowly opened it on a random page, hoping to find a recipe for a magical spell or something like that. However, what he found surprised him even though he was expecting it.

It was, as Rui said—blank.

"Wha-"

He looked at other pages. They were all the same, all blank.

There were only the colors of the weathered pages.

Ren frowned and placed the unknown book in the wardrobe again.

"Why did I raise my hopes?" Ren jumped at his bed and looked at the ceiling, "My child's dream of becoming an invincible magician overcame me... How funny."

Thinking about that, Ren closed his eyes and started daydreaming.

It was saddening that he could not just fall asleep at that precise moment.