Effie sat at a table with Rashomaru at his family’s restaurant. Masashi and Yukari were trying to deal with the butchered vegetable of the day. That was the very last girl in the village. Genjiro had managed to flub it and went on his way. It ended badly. He had actually managed to send her out running within five minutes of the blind date.

“That’s thirty-one girls…” Effie groaned as she grabbed the sake bottle poured them each one. They were old enough for a drink. They needed it at this point. She did it like a saint and made a face as the sake went down. She wasn’t used to it but after this last time… Her head hit the table. “How did he manage to scare off thirty-one girls?” Scare off or gross-out… He did it one by one in style.

The door slid open and Effie jumped up as she was used to for helping Yukari these days. “Welcome! Can I–”

The girl standing at the door was one that she had never seen before. She had long bouncing blond curls. A ribbon in her hair that looked oddly placed. She was in a purple kimono and the obi was done wrong. She was clearly not from here. With big red eyes, she looked around. Her skin was lighter than Effie’s. There was an odd cloak over her back but Effie just thought she was cold. “Hell…Hello.” She had a very sweet voice and was very quiet. “I just moved in.” The girl let her fingers scrunch up the kimono in a typical nervous habit. “I heard this place had good food.” She blushed and looked away shyly.

Her Ataiyan was rough but doable. Effie almost fell on her face as she got closer. “My name is Effie and this is Rashomaru.”

“Hello…” The girl shied away and put her sleeve up to cover her face partially. She was really, really shy. “I’m Enya.”

Effie looked at Rashomaru before turning her attention back. “How old are you Enya?”

“Fourteen this past Venti.”

“I know this… is sudden but would you be willing to meet someone?” Effie was on the move and she didn’t know if Masashi could handle another failed date.

“Like… a boy?” Her voice trembled but she nodded. She did like boys they just happened to think she was weird. “Sure…”

Effie held out her hands. “I just need you to wait here… Rashomaru set up a table for them.” She ran out of the restaurant and yelled at Nui on her way past. “I got Genjiro another date!”

This would be number thirty-two and hopefully, he didn’t mess it up.

She found the trouble maker and grabbed him by his kimono. “I got you another date Lover Boy.” She pulled him back if necessary. Before they got in she straightened Genjiro up and pushed him in before introducing him to Enya. “This is Enya, she’s new here… Enya this is Genjiro.”

Enya was sitting with her hands in her lap as she looked up at him. “Hello…” She managed to squeak it out.

He had never thought of how many girls were in the village that were their age until now. With dying embers of Genjiro's past now quelled, they still had to find a way to ensure he wouldn't resume his old habits. If they wanted to make sure Effie would be able to stay herself, they needed to prevent him from bothering her. Effie was the one who came up with the idea to find Genjiro a girlfriend, or at least someone else who would take his mind off of things. It started simple enough, and they set up the blind date in their family restaurant for a few hours in the day. It didn't go well, to put things lightly. Up until now Genjiro had lived a fairly sheltered life under the watchful eye of him and his parents. Perhaps he himself was to blame for spoiling him in their childhood years. Despite years of being his shadow, Genjiro somehow managed to fail to grasp the finer details of etiquette and tact. Then again, it was different watching someone than doing it yourself.

Thirty more dates later, the Kaname family's spirits had sunk deeper save for Genjiro's. He didn't even seem to grasp that they were doing a not-so-subtle matchmaking, which probably explained half of the failures. His mother, father, Effie, Nui, and himself were seated around the table in the restaurant's kitchen passing a bottle of sake. He had his head in his hands, rubbing his temples. Nui's ears and tails were all deflated. The sound of the door opening had Effie answering the door, ready to attend to a customer. Perhaps fate hadn't abandoned them after all, as a new face was quickly assessed and brought in as the thirty-second attempt.

Rashomaru was outside in the seating area while his parents and Nui peered from the kitchen. His father still had the cleaver in hand, having taken out his anxiety on a head of cabbage. They had been eating dumplings, meat balls, and steamed buns for weeks thanks to his father's stress chopping. The longer the date dragged on the more shredded the vegetables became. The little girl who had stumbled in was adorable, her voice so quiet and soft. When she said she had found her way here due to their restaurant's reputation, he couldn't help but feel a great sense of pride. It was hard to believe she was just fourteen! Though he and his brother could hardly qualify as being average, especially himself. 

Against his expectations, Enya agreed to go on a blind date on the spur of the moment. Rashomaru couldn't grasp this stroke of luck, but went along. Everyone's hopes lifted and he brought the soup, dishes, and rice for two. After relaying the good news, Effie dragged Genjiro back in for one last try. Once the two were seated and the sign saying they were on break was hung outside the door, everyone else who was watching held their breath. He prayed to all their ancestors and saints above that this would be the one. Effie introduced Enya and his brother to each other before letting nature take its course.

When the girl peeped out a hello, Genjiro smiled back with his cheeky grin. "Hi! So when did you move in? Not a lot of new people move here often, are you from the capital?" He was doing it again–that abrupt barrage of questions with that childlike innocence in his eyes. He didn't have many friends aside from Effie and Nui, so he didn't know how to break the silence without coming on too strong.

Effie had thought that at least Genjiro would have caught on from watching Rashomaru and herself court… but doing what you watched wasn’t always how it worked. Nope, it looked like Genjiro was straight up oblivious.

Effie hid in the kitchen under Rashomaru so they could watch together. It wasn’t hard since she was so much smaller than her boyfriend. “Do you think this is the one?” Effie whispered up.

Compared to Effie Enya was a bit shorter. She looked more like a doll sitting across from Genjiro. Her eyes went wide for a moment as she hid her face behind her sleeve once more. Her face was flushed from the sudden barrage of questions.

“Oh… No.” Effie looked a bit defeated but Enya surprised her as the girl brought her sleeve down.

“My family used to be from here. My mother was born here and my father was from Karith. They met when he was traveling in Nisshoki. We lived in Karith until the accident last week.” She frowned a bit. “But my aunt and uncle took me in after the funerals. I only just arrived yesterday night.”

Effie went oddly quiet. This girl told her story so upfront maybe it was because of Genjiro’s aura. He was open and a loudmouth and it caused people to do things they normally wouldn’t do… like run out on him.

Enya reached for the food and started to eat it. She had manners and etiquette something they could definitely say Genjiro did not. However, it would seem she was a klutz as they watched Enya fumble her food and launch the bowl of rice. “Oh! I’m so very sorry.” She went to get up and tripped landing on her face.

Effie sucked in a chuckle but continued to watch. “Sorry!” Enya began to clean off the rice… one grain at a time. Which made Effie quirk an eyebrow. The coat she had been wearing had slid off and it revealed a set of little wings and a tail. The tail whisked and grabbed a cloth from the table as soon as Enya had cleaned Genjiro up. She was cleaning the floor while the tail was cleaning his face. Her little hairband had managed to displace itself when she fell revealing two little horns. Black with white details was what her tail and wings looked like and her little horns were black. Though it could be hard to see in all the blonde hair she had.

“Are you okay?” She stood up and took the cloth from her tail before the panic set in. “Oh no! I wasn’t supposed to let anyone know.” She turned to look at her tail and went in a circle before taking hold of it. “I can leave if you want me to.” Her face was red and the cloth lit on fire but there was no panic. “So-sorry… When I get really upset I tend to accidentally put things on fire.”

What everyone had missed save for Yukari, was the fact that Enya was no ordinary new girl in town. As she helped the children set the table she made a few discoveries which she chose to keep quiet on until later. She herself felt this particular date might have a better chance at success than the rest. Rashomaru and Effie peered from the kitchen, Effie whispering up to him on what his thoughts were. "It's too early to say…she's much more quiet than the past thirty-one attempts."  To everyone's surprise, Enya didn't get overwhelmed by his questions. In fact after she got her bearings, she started talking. The rest of the family didn't know what to say when she gave such a frank answer…even talking about the passing of her parents being last week. They were all so nervous. What Genjiro would say or do would make or break this date. And it wasn't going to be easy now that this was on the table.

But like always, he found a way. "Oh…" He wasn't really sure what to say about that. Just recently he'd remembered a lot of unhappy things too. There was a period of silence as Enya and Genjiro started to eat, but the tension didn't last long with the doll-like girl's clumsiness–sending a face-full of steaming warm rice right all over him. Awkward silence became a lighthearted panic as the poor girl was trying to clean him up, while he 'helped' by licking off the grains closest to his mouth. In the frantic scramble Enya's coat and hairband came off, revealing a tail, horns, and wings.

She was adorably cute, just downright huggable! When she started getting flustered when she realized the cat was out of the bag about herself, he didn't even realize why she was embarrassed. He looked in awe, at a loss for words for a few seconds before smiling. "You have horns…with wings and a tail too! That's so cool!" The floodgates were opened and there was nothing holding him back from being his usual self. Even her little 'accident' with setting the cloth on fire didn't phase him. Picking up his tea cup he dumped the contents over the flames causing Nui to groan from her hiding spot. "There goes the chrysanthemum tea…" Its sacrifice would not be in vain, despite having never being sipped. 

"They're so cute~ They kinda remind me of my cousins! They have horns too, but theirs are a lot longer and different shapes! One of them only has one and it looks like a deer's, but shiny like coral. I remember seeing a big polished piece of it in the capital in this fancy store, red with pearls in it!" He was babbling, talking way more than necessary. But could you blame him? He was so excited! The only people who were different were him, his brother, and Nui. His brother had friends who visited from the capital from time to time but they didn't count. Although it had a rocky start, things were going along much more smoothly. Nui slipped out from the kitchen and disguised herself as a lucky cat statue, though more like a poor man's imitation using a fox.

Enya offered a small sad smile to Genjiro’s oh. It might have hit home just a bit. “It’s alright Genjiro. I stopped crying about it a few days ago. Mom and Dad wouldn’t have wanted me to stay sad about it.” Effie held this look on her face. Holy shit, this girl was precious and they were letting Genjiro near her.

Effie facepalmed as Genjiro licked the rice off but Enya giggled at him! Effie couldn’t believe this dweeb was actually winning her over. “You are so silly,” Enya whispered it softly as she cleaned his face. Everything about him seemed funny in a way but also she liked it.

Finally, though he saw what she was hiding and she blushed massively. “You think it’s cool?” Could he be? He had to be! He wasn’t scared of her! He even put out the fire and she was staring at him with big red eyes that seemed to be in a trance. He was the first boy not scared by her appearance.

“You… You think I’m cute?” She felt her entire face go red as she looked up at him. She hid her face with her sleeve for a short time. She finally peeked up at him and gave him a smile. “Does that mean you are like me?”

What she didn’t remember was a very long time before this moment. She had actually met Genjiro and Rashomaru in their childhood… What a shock this would be. “Does that mean you want to continue the date with me? I can understand if you don't… A lot of people leave after they find out."

"Yep, it's definitely cool! I've never seen people with your wings before! Are you part dragon? I remember once my brother told me there are dragons who have to fly with wings. They breathe fire and don't like water much." He kept babbling on, finally having found somebody who was interested in listening. Most people said they were busy and had other things to do, but at last he could sit and chat to his heart's content. "I'm not really sure what that means, but I can make stuff catch on fire! It's kinda hard to put it out though. I wonder if I'll ever get horns too…" Genjiro mumbled loudly, looking thoughtful for a moment. That moment didn't last long, naturally. And when she asked if he thought she was cute, he said without any shred of hesitation: "You are cute! Aww, I really wanna just pick you up real high like this–buuut I don't think bro and everybody else will like that." The fifteen-year-old pouted. 

He had this strange familiar feeling for some reason, but he easily overlooked it since he was so giddy. When Enya then asked if he wanted to continue the date and then said she thought he would leave after finding out she had cute horns, a tail, and wings–it left him pretty confused. "Of course I'd want to continue the date, isn't this fun? Oh! I almost forgot–what do you like to do?" He got out of his seat and leaned close, his hands on the disorganized table. From the kitchen's direction he felt as if there was intense staring at the back of his head, as Nui was hungrily eyeing the forgotten food sitting a few meters away. The rice was a lost cause, but at this point she didn't care if the soup or side dishes were cold. Her tails began to puff as she tried to hold back from having her stomach growl. She should've grabbed a snack before coming…

So far things were sailing smoothly, as Masashi's furrowed brow was no longer creasing. Rashomaru was no longer holding his breath with how Genjiro managed to maneuver around bringing up that sensitive topic, and Enya was too good-natured to be offended by his bluntly innocent questions. The chatter didn't stop as Rashomaru could tell Genjiro was warming up to the girl. Naturally he would know; after all he was the first person who Genjirio had latched onto. 

Enya shook her head. “No! My mother was an oni from this village and well a demon is really an oni so I guess my father was an oni as well! I got my wings and tail from my father!” Effie took a huge sigh of relief. Both of them were the same.

“You are cute too… Genjiro.” She blushed a bit more as she admired his hair and his eyes. She had never gotten called cute by a boy before and she really did seem to like his personality.

When he asked her what she liked to do she thought about it. “I like to bake, sew, and read! I also like to make these flower crowns. The river here is actually really good here for the flowers. I used to make them all the time when I was a kid. We would come to visit my aunt and uncle.”

She sat up a bit straighter and leaned in. “What do you like Genjiro?”

"Oooh!" Despite his high-energy personality, he had lived a rather sheltered life. The most he knew about the world was what he had seen and heard in the village, and maybe from the few visits to Nisshoki. Genjiro wasn't one to reject a compliment, leaving him beaming like a silly puppy. If he was happy it was easy to see. When Enya listed her hobbies, he made sure to memorize everything. "You know, all that stuff sorta reminds me of what my big bro likes to do too! He's really good at cooking, he makes the best food!" Genjiro bragged with pride. From the kitchen Rashomaru's face as getting red from embarrassment from his brother's exaggeration, but those warm fuzzy feelings disappeared as he kept talking. "Whenever it's a rainy day or really cold out, he'll make these cute little–" In the blink of an eye, a warm steamed meat bun flew into Genjiro's mouth cutting him off. 

Rashomaru was fuming while still trying not to show that everyone else was eavesdropping on the date. If he had thrown the bun any later Genjiro was sure to spill something he didn't want people to know. Thankfully the food distracted his brother long enough to change his train of thought, returning to the last thing from Enya's hobby list. Flower crowns…why did it feel like he'd heard this before? It was sort of hazy in his head, like an old memory back before his big brother started his sword training. Nui was with them, so maybe she would make branch wreaths to put on their heads while they had picnics. 

"What do you like Genjiro?" The question was out of the blue, but he already had an answer. With a genuine smile, he looked back into her red eyes and said: "You! And my brother, Nui, Effie, mom and dad, all our cousins and relatives all the way in Kujishoku…" His voice trailed off as he had a big list, from food to things he liked doing. With both of them leaning so close, a cheeky thought crossed his mind as Enya's eyes were on him. In a brief pause, he leaned closer and planted his lips on hers–pulling back after a few seconds. There was a hushed gasp as the 'lucky fox statue' let out air from her lungs, barely keeping it together. "He kissed her–he kissed her!! Heh heh heh~" 

Enya giggled a bit and even clapped a bit as the steam bun appeared. “OH! You can do magic tricks?” She was completely… oblivious. Effie looked up at Rashomaru confused about Enya but it looked like Genjiro could play it off… and he probably would.

Then the statement came out and Effie let out a gasp. Oh her demon lord, this guy was ballsy. He just told Enya he liked her on the first date! Enya was bright red and she looked away shyly but not before she felt Genjiro kissing her.

Enya was dizzy and she felt like she was going to pass out from how hot it made her. Effie had grabbed one of Masashi’s butcher knives and was about to go stab Genjiro. Rashomaru had Effie in his arms as displeased as he probably was with his brother. This was going to make or break this date.

Enya touched her lips. “Wait… Genjiro.” She bit her lip and honestly, it was probably super cute to look at but she leaned across that table and she kissed him back. “I like you… too.”

Getting up Enya slipped back on her coat before taking his hands. “Walk with me?” She wasn’t hungry and she needed the air after everything.

After they left the building Rashomaru finally let Effie go and she started to yell. “WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT ABOUT? HOW BIG ARE YOUR BROTHER’S BALLS?! HOW DID THAT EVEN WORK? AND SHE ACTUALLY BOUGHT THAT?!”

Enya held his hand going down to the river before picking up the late fall early winter flowers. Her fingers were nimble as she sat down by him. Her eyes looked up at his as she weaved. “I am glad that Effie stopped me for the date.”

She finished it easily as she reached up and plopped the familiar flower crown on his head. “I would like to keep seeing you if that’s okay?”

Things were quickly spiraling out of control and the Kaname family barely had time to react. Rashomaru noticed the knife in Effie's hand and wrapped his arms around her out of instinct while Nui was trying to throw off the trajectory in case that didn't work. Masashi and his son were both internally screaming at the brash move Genjiro had just pulled, something neither of them had ever done period. Then the surprises didn't stop as shy little Enya returned that sneaky kiss of Genjiro's with an adorable peck. She asked if he would walk with her and it was no guess he'd say yes. They went out, and once they were out of earshot Effie's pent up emotion exploded. After wresting away the kitchen knife, Rashomaru and Nui let out a groan. 

"I can't believe what he did…and even more, I can't believe she didn't run or cry afterward." The golden-eyed boy put his head in his hands feeling a headache creep around his temples. "Whoooo~ I didn't know he had it in him, but that's Genjiro for you. This is probably the first time he's actually talked to a girl now that I think about it. And no apparently we don't count."  Nui fanned herself with her hands now back in a humanoid form. She slipped away to stuff her face with the untouched leftovers of the date meal, not letting any go to waste. This place was the best in town, no way she'd turn down free food. "They should be fine, I think. I mean, whatsh the worsht that could happen?"


 Meanwhile, they took a stroll down the riverside where Enya stopped to pick some of the budding blooms. He threw himself down on the grass as he watched her make them into a flower crown. She said she was really happy that she stayed for the date, to which he said: "Me too." Stretching, he smiled and sat up. As she carefully laid the crown on him, he touched the little flowers and rubbed the petals between his fingers. "I would like to keep seeing you if that's okay?"

"Sure thing! You can come by anytime! I'll be here at the same time like today if you wanna meet. Oh, hey–do your aunt and uncle need you to get back home before dark?" His mom and dad had always give them a curfew since they were kids. Even when Rashomaru ran errands he always made sure to come back on time. It was dangerous at night, they said. He never had a reason to stay out after dark anyway, so he didn't think much about it.