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[ what. sakura ambles after him, easily catching up. ]

You got me a present?

[Douman just huffs and pushes his hands into his pockets, squaring his shoulders.]

Yeah, so? It's not unusual to give the people you like a small something toward the end of the year. And it's also not like it's entirely not selfserving...

I didn't mean it was surprising because it's you.

It's just . . . surprising? I don't usually get presents.

So? That's not my fault. Now that I'm here, you get one.

[So it's as he suspected. Now Douman is glad again that he decided to call.

Still, he'll stubbornly keep his eyes on the road and his hands in his pockets. Already because he doesn't know what to do with them anymore.]

I'm not good at all this personal business, so you will just have to deal with it. If you don't like it, you can give it back or give it to somebody else. [not that he wants him to, but he won't pout (much)]

[ oh. that's . . . really nice. it reminds him a little of makochi. for a moment, he can believe things can work out. that he can find a place, no matter where he goes.

that feeling fizzles quickly, but the gratitude remains.

so sakura reaches out to grab the edge of his sleeve, his cheeks red. ]

Thanks . . . for the present.

[Feeling the tug on his sleeve has Douman stop for a split-second before he adjusts his step so he won't accidentally shake Sakura off.]

Don't thank me before you even know what it is, i-silly. I'm just sticking my nose into things that aren't my business again, and hope that nothing will explode in my face for once. ...and it's not like I can keep beating Ebisu-kun up for fun all the time either, so I was free.

[This lady doth protest a bit too much, but don't call him out on it.]

[ that's a long explanation which doesn't make any sense to sakura so he merely shrugs it off. ]

You did 'cuz you wanted to, right? So I'm thankin' you 'cuz I want to.

...Right. Anyway, there we are. After you.

[ a light huff. ]

Okay.

What do you wanna order?

[Douman takes a moment to take in their new surroundings and the cozy atmosphere. It's pretty warm inside, so he'll have to take off that coat soon and sadly there's also no longer an excuse to wear his mask. He can't help the way his shoulders stiffen and how his mouth presses into a thin line when he takes it off and feels the curious looks some of the other patrons present give him, but thankfully it's only brief looks.]

Since it's Christmas... Let's go with some cake and a hot drink. How about you?

[ weird. but then again, sakura's used to getting weird looks. he doesn't exactly fit in. ]

Yeah, I can try that. Usually I just get omurice.

Omurice? You can get that here? [Douman blinks and shrugs his shoulders.]

You can get whatever you want. Actually, just order this one and this one for me [he points at what he wants on the menu] and I'll get us a table ready in the meantime. I'll pay.

[which is already a HUGE christmas miracle by itself]

Yeah? I asked once and I got it. But it's probably not a normal item.

[ haru doesn't seem to mind. anyway, sakura nods, following douman's instructions without making a fuss. he makes his order before heading back. ]

Should be here soon.

[In the meantime, Douman is going to spot a free table for them and get out of his outdoor clothes, although he still keeps the scarf and mask nearby. There is also a small gift-wrapped parcel in plain red with a purple ribbon waiting for Sakura on the table.]

Here you go. ....Merry Christmas ...or whatever.

[Inside it Sakura will find his very own copy of The Laid-Back Youkai Dictionary, with a personal note scribbled onto the first empty page. (It's literally scribbled, after the first attempt with fancy, beautifully flowing script and the second with an overly formal type of writing have been crossed out.)

Explaining our whole world to you would be a pain, so read one entry of this every day or two. If something interests you, ask me and I'll explain it more. And tell me something about your world in return, so that we're even.

- Ashiya Douman

There's a big seal in the form of a grid drawn above his signature, almost as if Douman had forgotten that Sakura wouldn't know that the kuji-kiri was his signature mark. (He did.)]

[ woah it's a real present. a book even. sakura's not much of a reader, so he'll trail his fingers over the spine of it reverently. it is a pointed gesture, but still a kind one. and sakura doesn't really receive presents so this is a big moment for him. so he'll just soak it up. ]

Wow . . . It's real . . .

Thanks.

Of course it's real.

Looks. I know a book isn't what most teenagers might want as a gift these days, and I know that it's a bit ham-fisted and I already said that it's not entirely not self-serving, but.

[Gods. How does he say this? All he wants is a ditch to crawl into.]

I mean what I wrote inside, ok? You already know a lot of things about me, but I know pretty much nothing about you yet. So. ...Tell me sometime.

....That and I hated the idea of you running into more trouble with us just because we keep forgetting that our common knowledge isn't a given here.

.....there's also a Otoshidama in the back. Don't open it before it's New Years, and don't think too much of it. Actually, just toss it away if it's not something you want.

[It's a plain purple envelope with a thin golden string tied around it, containing an age-appropriate amount of strings and a thin bracelet with a tiny bell attached to it that he found at one of the stalls here. (The bells was Douman's own touch to it.) There's also a small note, explaining that the sound of the bell should remind Sakura that there are people who want him around, and that the cat's just 'because we were both probably likened to one more than once.']

[ hmm. it still feels weird to learn about people here through a book. and he's not sure he cares for it, especially with the little bits douman has told him. it's quite clear he's meant to have a negative reception to some of them and he probably will.

but even so. the book isn't going to decide his expectations. sakura will do that himself. ]

There isn't much to say about me . . . ? I'm just a kid.

But I'll take care of it. All of it.

[If Sakura decides to look Douman's name up in the book he'll find himself out of luck. It's a simple dictionary about different types of youkai and their particularities, with cute pictures and side notes or warnings. Simple things like "A zashiki warashi will bring good luck, except when they wear red. Then it's bad luck and they're probably unhappy, so pay attention to your friend's clothes!" or "Shuten Doji get tons of strength from drinking alcohol, but they can't hold their liquor well and tend to go on drunken rampages. Drink responsibly and beware the dangers of alcohol!" Or even "It's illegal to bribe Nekomata with catnip."]

Just a kid can still mean a lot of different things. Like, what year is it where you come from? Do you have youkai or anything supernatural at all in your world? Super robots? Flying cars? Is it even Japan at all?

[ sakura gives him a baffled flat look. ]

It's Japan? No aliens or robots or any of that stuff. Seriously. It's just normal.

[Douman just meets his eyes, blinks, and then takes a sip from his tea.]

Just making sure. Once you're reached a certain point, "normal" is always treacherous. Like how it's 'normal' for my students or teachers to blow up a room of my school every other day.

That isn't normal, that sounds like a problem.

Anyway, none of that stuff happens at Makochi. We have a lot of gang fights, that's all.

Gangs? Like delinquents?

Yeah. They come into town and start shit.

That's why Bofurin exists. To protect the town. We had a major fight not long ago.

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