The next week...

Karamatsu swung open the glass door to a small arts and crafts store, little bells jingling on the door as he strolled inside. He scuffed his boots lightly on the floor as the morning sunshine warmed their faces. Todomatsu was close behind him, holding tightly to the hem of the priest's everyday clothing.

Instantly, the two were greeted by a 'friendly' woman, who was standing behind a glass countertop. Her hair was red and extremely frizzy, all curled high on her head like a mountain of cobwebs. She wore bright, firetruck read lipstick, and a pair of thick, purple glasses, which continuously slid down her nose.

"How might I help you two today?" the woman asked, smiling kindly at the two. Despite her friendliness, something about her made both Karamatsu and Todomatsu feel slightly on edge.

"I'm l-looking for something to u-use..." Karamatsu stumbled uneasily over his words, approaching the glass countertop.

Todomatsu hid behind Karamatsu keeping his eyes focused on the floor.

"And what might that be?" the lady smacked her lips as she spoke, causing Karamatsu to cringe inside. He couldn't tolerate the sorts sounds that came out of people's mouths sometimes.

"Ribbon," Karamatsu nearly whispered, feeling quite foolish.

Just a week ago, after he and Todomatsu and finished their evening meal together, strange ideas began to pour into his mind.

He suffered from memories of a place which seemed distant and filled with sadness. The priest merely presumed it to be a dream, and nothing else. Yet a single object had stood out in his mind.

"Now, we have constant reminders....that we are loved, and that someone out there cares for us. Because, all alone, we wouldn't have been able to tie such beautiful bows around our wrists." a voice had seemed to speak.

Ever since he had heard that voice of comfort and mystery, Karamatsu felt the urge to buy ribbons. Lots of ribbons.

To be forgiven, the man vowed to live the rest of his life, protecting those who couldn't protect themselves in the small town. Most importantly, he also vowed to protect all of the children. Karamatsu loved children, and he didn't want them to grow up feeling alone or sad.

"Nobody deserves to feel alone," Karamatsu thought. "and...maybe if I live my life, making sure others are never alone, and allowing them to feel loved, perhaps I will be forgiven someday...."

"What colors of ribbon?" the lady asked, snapping Karamatsu out of his thoughts. She turned around and opened up several drawers, revealing hundreds of different shades of colors. "Pink? Purple? Brown? Yellow?"

"May I have...several rolls of that violet shade you have there? And one of the black, two blue, and five whites...?" Karamatsu requested. "Wait...no..."

The woman narrowed her eyes irritatedly. She didn't take joy in customers who couldn't decide on things immediately. They often came off as annoying or just flat out uneducated, in her opinion. Of course, she lacked the common understanding of human knowledge and emotion.

"Make it quick," the woman smacked with a wide, fake smile. Her nose scrunched up as she did such, her purple frames moving up a hair.

Todomatsu sat down on the floor of the craft shop, pulling his knees to his chest. His timid, yet mischievous soul was plotting revenge against Karamatsu, since the priest had forced him to go out in public, which was probably one of the worst things that could even happen.

"Think...Think...!" Karamatsu stared at all the different colors of ribbon, feeling overwhelmed. His palms began to sweat, but at that moment, a certain color caught his eyes.

The man's heart skipped a beat, and he was unsure why.

A roll of soft, light blue ribbon, the color of the morning sky during springtime.

"Th-That one..." Karamatsu muttered, pointing to the light blue roll of ribbon. "I'd like several in that color, please."

The woman sighed, immediately pulling several out from behind her.

Throwing them into a plastic bag, she muttered curses under her breath, while smiling as she allowed Karamatsu to pay up.

"A-Ah...." Karamatsu struggled to find any kind words to say to the woman as he took his newly purchased items. "If you would like, you could come to tonight's evening service at c-church..."

"Oh?" the woman smacked, removing her glasses to polish them. "So you're the new priest in town? I don't even see how you can run a silly little church all by yourself. That's not how things usually work with this religion."

"T-This is a small town, though," Karamatsu stammered, taking Todomatsu's hand as he hastily exited the store.