"W-wait a minute! D-don't come in so fa-"

A small red blur slams hard into Vincent's chest. He barely manages to keep his balance as he catches the thing. It feels soft and warm in his hands. He smiles gently.

"Brother! You're alright!"

Without warning, Chen gives him a tight hug.

"Yeah. It's good to see yo-aaargh!"

Vincent cringes in pain as he becomes aware of her unnatural youkai strength. He doesn't remember this girl being so strong! His eyes widen in horror as he hears something pop. The nekomata girl quickly steps back and apologizes. He takes a moment to check himself for permanent damage. After confirming that the pain was the worst of it, he turns back to Chen.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" she says again.

That cute, teary-eyed face... how could he stay mad? He quickly forces himself to smile as he ruffles her hair reassuringly.

"You're pretty good, aren't you?"

She nods slowly as she wipes her eyes.

"When Master Ran is nearby, I can use my full power. I become really strong!"

"Yep, I saw. Good work on defeating Rin back there."

"Hmph!"

The other cat girl lands beside them, pouting.

"She just got lucky that time! I wasn't ready for that last spellcard."

He lowers his hand and stares at the red-haired girl for several moments. She notices his gaze and frowns at him.

"Eh? W-what are you looking at? It's rude to stare! Doesn't anyone teach you little humans any manners?"

Ran clears her throat.

"This is Vincent," she says. "The one we talked about earlier."

"Ah! Is he, now~"

Rin's eyes start sparkling as she takes a better look at him. Vincent swallows nervously as he feels her gaze probe every inch of him. Then, she smiles widely.

"My friends call me Orin! Nice to meet ya!"

"Umm... nice to meet you too?"

"Alright! We're friends now, so I'm going to take him home~"

"Wait, what?"

Suddenly, Chen grabs Vincent's arm and clings to him tightly.

"I-I won't let you!" she cries. "I'm going to protect my brother!"

The two cat-eared girls stare angrily at each other. This looks dangerous. Thankfully, Ran speaks up before things get worse.

"We are heading back to the mansion. Take the medication I left in your rooms and get some rest."

"Eh? But I wanna take him home!"

"Master Ran? I won't let this girl do whatever she -"

"We are heading back. Now."

~~~

After watching Ran 'escort' the other two back, Vincent starts walking around the grounds. The morning is very peaceful now that their danmaku duel is over. Besides the wispy spirits that float along the path, he finds himself alone. His head and heart still feel heavy as he recalls yesterday's events. There are many things that he doesn't understand, and even more that he regrets.

"..."

Before he realizes it, he finds himself standing in front of the dojo behind the mansion. Vincent pauses thoughtfully. He arrives at this place without thinking, and now, he can feel a presence inside.

[ ] Investigate the dojo.
[ ] Head back to the mansion.