"Where to next?" I asked, turning toward Kayda, my voice casual but my eyes scanning the endless line of stalls glowing beneath lanterns. The snow reflected the light back upward, making everything shimmer like the whole world was caught inside a crystal.
"I think it's more a question of where's the next stall business we can ruin," Kayda commented dryly, shifting the oversized teddy bear she carried so it wasn't blocking her face. The way she hugged it protectively made the comment even funnier.
I snorted, unable to help myself. "Oh, you want to keep going with that line of work tonight? I don't mind. It's actually kind of fun." My words dripped sarcasm, but part of me meant it.
Kayda shook her head vigorously, wings twitching a little in emphasis. "No, thank you. I don't want more people to hate me."
"But we're winning, so there's no downside," I said with a shrug, pretending like I was stating the most obvious truth in the world.
Kayda gave me a flat look, her expression unimpressed. "No, we're ruining other people's experiences." She adjusted the teddy bear, which looked absurdly huge in comparison to her size, as if she were trying to carry around a child.
"Are we, though?" I lifted a hand, gesturing like a philosopher about to deliver wisdom. "Or are we actually saving them money?"
Her eyes narrowed, deadpan. "Yes. We are ruining it for them."
"But they're ruining the event for us," I shot back, letting my tone slip into a mock complaint.
That response elicited a long, dramatic sigh from her, which conveyed the weight of someone regretting their life choices.
"Sigh, you do realize that you won that shooting game fair and square—even though the guy rigged it," Kayda said, her face calm as she explained. "It's not impossible to win. Just very hard."
I flicked my hair back arrogantly. "No, it's impossible for other people. I am Kitsuna, the fox, you know. There's no one like me out there." I puffed up my chest, proud.
"Did you use magic?" Kayda asked, tilting her head sideways, her tone cutting straight through my boasting like it was tissue paper.
"No," I muttered, shoulders dropping. Her lack of reaction left me feeling deflated.
"Then there's no problem," she said simply, shrugging like the conversation was over.
"Fine, fine," I grumbled, unwilling to admit defeat. "But you still didn't answer me. Where are we going next?" I asked, quick to steer the topic elsewhere.
"Let's get those meatballs we wanted before," Kayda suggested, finally smiling.
"Yeah!" I lifted both hands into the air in victory, accidentally letting go of hers in the process.
Kayda immediately frowned. "Don't do that. And store Big Chungus away." She pushed her teddy toward me like she was offering a sacrifice.
"It has a name?" I blinked, surprised.
"Yeah, of course, all my—" Kayda cut herself off abruptly, clamming up mid-sentence.
My ears perked. "Oh? Did I hear something intriguing just now?" I playfully teased her while gently taking Big Chungus out of her arms before she could pull away.
"No, you didn't. I said no such thing." Kayda glared at me, her pouty lips making the expression more comical than threatening.
"Pfft, 'no such thing'? That sounded like denial. As if you'd been caught being nice to someone." My laughter came out quick and sharp.
Kayda tilted her head, confusion written across her face. "Where did I compliment someone?"
I sighed like an exasperated teacher. "Don't worry about it. More importantly, what did you say about all your teddies? They all have what now?" I pressed, my grin widening.
"Aah, shut up. You didn't hear anything." She whined, reaching up and trying to grab my head.
I leaned back easily, dodging. "Oh, but you already know my hearing is impeccable."
"Yeah, but you have those earbuds in," she accused, narrowing her eyes at me like she'd just discovered my weakness.
"Not currently," I said smugly, showing her the earbuds resting in my hand.
Kayda's jaw dropped. "That's why you were acting smug!" she cried, sounding utterly betrayed.
"Haha. So let's recount. You said 'all my,' which means you always name your teddies and that you definitely have multiple of them." My tone was mockingly thoughtful, like I was piecing together a grand mystery.
"Aaah, stop talking!" Kayda shouted, lunging for my mouth.
I darted sideways, laughing. "That's so cute. You collect teddies as a hobby."
Kayda stopped mid-lunge, crossing her arms with a huff. "Hmph, so what? They're adorable." Her pout deepened, but her ears twitched in embarrassment.
"Uh-huh. Teddies are adorable sometimes," I agreed, softening my tone—before immediately undercutting it. "But nothing will ever beat your face right now." I reached out, catching her chin between my fingers and lifting it just enough for her to look straight into my eyes.
"Gah, don't look at me like that," Kayda stammered, face flushing before she practically leapt onto me, trying to cover my mouth with her hands.
"Ha-ha, come on, I'm just teasing you," I said between giggles as we half-wrestled in the snow.
"And they said they weren't lovers," Katie's voice rang suddenly from the side, startling us both into freezing.
"I know, right? Just look at them. All this screams lovers," Ann added, her grin sharp enough to cut.
"Huh?" Kayda and I turned in unison, our playful skirmish grinding to a halt. About forty meters away, Katie and her mother were watching us, each holding a small tub of food. Katie looked caught off guard, while Ann's smile was pure mischief.
"Oh, they heard us," Katie said, startled. She quickly handed her tub to Ann and grabbed the wheelchair handles, trying to retreat.
"Nope. You're not going anywhere," Kayda said, instantly appearing in front of them, blocking their path.
"Yeah, no. What is this?" I asked, popping up behind them. My eyes narrowed as I peered into the tub. "Is that supposed to be meatballs? Because it tastes more like deep-fried cabbage."
"Hey, don't take my food!" Katie shouted, leaping at me, only for her arms to pass straight through my body as I dissolved into red smoke.
Reappearing beside Kayda, I held the tub in my hands. "Kayda, was this what we would've gotten if we ordered those meatballs?"
Kayda shook her head quickly. "No. This is the healthy version. The restaurant also offers the delicious fatty versions. I really love them." Her eyes brightened at the mention, almost sparkling.
"Is that so? Oh, here you go. I won't eat your food anymore." I handed the tub back to Katie, who grabbed it protectively.
"You would've eaten it. But I already took a bite," she said, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.
"Yeah, so? I don't care," I said with a shrug.
"You—" Katie started to argue, but Kayda's sweet, drawn-out voice interrupted.
"Kitsu, what do you mean by that?" she teased, her tone dripping honey, sending a shiver crawling down my spine.
"Kayda, don't even think I care about something like someone else's saliva," I shot back, shaking my head with practiced calm.
"So..." Kayda's voice softened, almost sulky.
I deadpanned. "Are you a teenager on hormones? Indirect kissing isn't a thing."
"I am not," she argued quickly, but her eyes flicked away guiltily.
"Is that so? Then why did you make me take two bites of the candy apple I hated so much?" I grinned at the memory of her smug face back then.
Kayda's cheeks flushed pink. "That's... Wait. If you knew, would you still do it?"
"Hmm, guess you got me there." I smirked. "So you were after my saliva." Shrugging, I began walking away casually.
"No, no! Don't just dismiss my question like that!" Kayda hurried after me, her voice pitching into a whine.
"I'm not dismissing it, rawr." I tilted my head innocently.
"Yeah, you are. You didn't answer properly," she accused, glaring at me.
"...How many teddies do you have? I bet there's one named Cold, Fluffy, or maybe Snowy. Better yet... Kisses."
"Gah, Kisses? What a shitty name! I'd never torture my teddies with that gruesome name." Kayda froze mid-sentence, realizing too late what she'd admitted.
I smirked. "Oh, so you do have special names for all of them."
"Ugh." She groaned, face-palming.
"So, what's your favorite one? How does it look? And what's its name?" I pressed, grinning wickedly.
"Her—" Kayda cut herself off again, realizing she'd stepped into another trap. "No, wait, don't go changing the subject just because you don't want to admit you're also a teenager with raging hormones!"
"Also?" I raised a brow.
"Gah."
"Kayda, you do realize I'm actually fourteen, right? Around this time hormones do show up."
Her ears twitched. "...So you're not denying it."
"Well, it's my body that gets the hormones, not my brain and thoughts. But they're definitely affecting your thoughts," I said, watching her fumble.
Kayda froze, then blurted, "...Fine! I have twenty-seven teddies, each with adorable names. I'll introduce you later." She crossed her arms, as if to indicate that the matter was settled.
I blinked. "So it's more embarrassing for you to admit you've got hormones than to admit you've got twenty-seven named teddies?"
"I do not deny or agree with anything you just said," Kayda muttered, looking away stubbornly.
I chuckled. "I swear I've said those exact words before."
Before Kayda could argue, a shrill, high-pitched voice rang out.
"Crepes for sale! Get your crepes at Ben's stall!" A small girl darted past us, waving her hand high in the air, her voice carrying over the crowd.
"Hey," I said, appearing directly in front of her.
"Oof!" The girl squeaked as she ran straight into me, falling back on her butt with a thump.
She looked up, wide-eyed. "Sorry! I didn't see you there!"
"No, it's my fault. Anyway, where's the crepe stand you were shouting about?" I asked, reaching down to help her up.
Her green eyes brightened immediately. "Oh, you want Uncle Ben's stall? Follow me, I'll show you!" She grabbed my hand confidently and tugged me forward with surprising strength.
"Wait up. There's still more coming." I looked over my shoulder. "Kayda, are you coming?"
"Yeah, of course," Kayda said, quickly catching up and grabbing my free hand.
"And you two?" I asked Katie and Ann.
"Yeah," Ann said with a grin. "You guys seem entertaining tonight."
"Hmm." Kayda hummed low, her gaze sliding toward Ann.
Ann immediately raised her hands. "Okay, okay, I won't tease you."
"Good. Then let's go, little girl," I said, nodding.
"Okay! To Uncle Ben's stall we go!" she cheered, leading the way.
As I followed, I glanced down at her yukata. It looked almost identical to mine; only her base color was purple instead of red. Her short green hair shimmered beneath the lanterns, her emerald eyes glowing like jewels in the snowlight. She looked like a little mirror, almost like a smaller version of me—but with brighter eyes and more innocence.
And for a brief moment, I wondered what story this little girl carried with her.