The small fur ball was curled up alone in the center of the pipe. Fast asleep, it hadn't activated Love Train—so every gust of wind pushed rainwater in to soak its fur, little by little.
Not a twitch. Not a sound. Like it might be dead.
That was what Origami found.
She'd expected the cat to go to Shiori's.
She reached in for the cat—but the pipe was far longer than her arm.
"Roly."
She called softly. The fur ball still didn't move.
Don't tell me—
Origami found a straight stick some child had left behind, combined it with her arm's reach, and prodded the far end.
"Hah!"
She heard a hiss. The knot in her chest loosened by a fraction.
"Come out. I'm taking you home."
The fur ball shifted deeper into the pipe, ignoring her. But since it had started in the very center, moving toward the far end only exposed it to more wind and rain.
"There's canned food at home."
Still nothing.
Origami pressed the Mordred chip to her forehead, summoned the Realizer, and with a clean stroke cut the pipe open above the cat's position. She reached in and lifted her out.
"Mrrp!"
The cat raised a paw and batted at her.
Origami used the Realizer to deflect the rain.
Why was she doing this?
She couldn't understand herself. Brow furrowed, she turned and flew toward home.
Then the weight in her arms surged. White light bloomed, and a small girl was pushing against her shoulder. "I'm not going with you."
"Stop making trouble..."
"Go away." Yimi kept pushing.
"..." Origami pressed her lips together and said nothing.
So why was she doing this?
She placed a hand on the back of the small girl's head—meaning to make her sit still—and touched wet hair. Soaked in her sleep.
She could picture it clearly: the little girl, kicked out into the night, scrambling through the rain in a panic, crawling into a pipe to hide.
Spirits are the enemy. The sworn enemy—
She carried Yimi back almost by force. In truth, she had imagined herself forcing a Spirit into one thing or another more times than she could count.
Yimi didn't shift back into cat form. She stood in the corner of the room, motionless, silently sulking.
The little cat made food for the big cat. The big cat pushed the little cat out into the rain.
The little cat has a temper too.
"..."
Origami closed her eyes and pressed her temples. Then she lifted Yimi by the armpits, let her feet dangle off the floor, and carried her all the way to the bathroom. Then pulled her clothes off. The outfit dissolved into particles of light the moment it left the girl's body—one more reminder of exactly what she was.
"I'll bite you!"
The little girl clamped her teeth onto Origami's hand. Origami didn't pull away.
Beyond a faint trace of moisture, there wasn't so much as a mark.
Spirits are hateful—
Origami set the shower to the right temperature and turned it on Yimi. To keep water out of the cat ears, she fitted her with a disposable shower cap and left the hair for last.
"Ah!"
The little girl shrieked and scrambled backward, fighting desperately to escape the spray.
Spirits are a nuisance—
Origami took hold of Yimi's hand and, numbly, washed her anyway.
"Scrub."
Yimi retaliated—grabbed hold of Origami's clothes, hooked both legs around her waist, and started climbing her with all four limbs. The water she'd just been showered with soaked straight through Origami's dry outfit.
"..."
Origami looked down for a moment, then simply redirected the showerhead at herself.
If we go down, we go down together.
So why was she doing any of this?
She supposed it was the bag of millet. No matter how much she hated her—pushing someone who had cared for her out into the rain didn't sit right. Not even now.
She gave herself a reason. Then she draped a towel over Yimi's head. "The hairdryer is on the table. Don't go outside. I'll make you something to eat in a bit."
"Scrub."
Yimi got one last word in on her way out—though this one wasn't aimed specifically at Origami. The girl at the pet shop who used to bathe her had gotten it far worse.
Watching the small girl toddle out with nothing on, Origami closed the bathroom door and stared for a while at the bottle of pet shampoo in the corner.
Then she drove her fist into the wall.
Her hand trembled against the tile—nearly cracked. Her five fingers slowly spread open.
What was she doing?
Good for nothing, only making things worse.
She swallowed.
"It doesn't matter."
She wanted to defeat Spirits—so she needed to understand and study them. This little girl just happened to be a convenient starting point.
Origami thought of Shiori's words: "I'm also a Spirit."
Why hadn't Roly gone to Shiori's place?
She pulled her soaking phone from her pocket. Miraculously, it still seemed functional.
She unblocked Shiori's number and called.
About twenty seconds passed before anyone answered.
"Origami...? You're still up? You've got school tomorrow at 7:60, you should really get some sleep..."
Clearly not fully conscious.
"Is Takamiya Yimi with you?"
"Huh?" Slightly more alert. "She's fast asleep here at my place. She has elementary school tomorrow, doesn't she? Is something wrong?"
"Nothing. Get some sleep." Origami hung up and blocked her again.
When it came to Spirits, Shiori would lie without hesitation.
She rinsed herself off, stepped out with a towel over her head—and came face-to-face with Yimi crouching on the floor, studying the wall outlet with great curiosity, about to poke a finger into one of the slots.
"..."
Origami walked over and pulled her away. "That has electricity in it."
Yimi didn't look at her.
Origami's brow furrowed slightly. "What do you want to eat?"
"I won't eat your food."
"..."