After the strange night at the inn, it became clear to Ichiro that his journey had gotten off to an unlucky start. So he decided that visiting his uncle would be something better left for when he'd achieved his primary goal of traveling to Wazuka village in Yamashiro Province and selling off all the Uji tea that he could get.

He caught another boat passing along the Yodo River, and to his great relief, he did not fall sick as he had done while at sea. On his second night, he arrived at the small and newly built port of Hirakata, where the lack of accommodation had led to him returning aboard to sleep in discomfort alongside other disgruntled passengers.

It took another day and a half for the boat to dock outside the town of Uji. The following morning, Ichiro bought a new sandogasa from a milliner and wore it to keep his head warm and protect against rain. Wazuka village was said to be half a day's walk away, so it seemed only wise for him to be as prepared as possible.

He consulted his map and found that he would soon be heading through a landscape filled with forest, hills, and mountains. The last time he'd seen such sights was in his childhood when he'd fled with his parents in search of refuge, and his sister Isa had been taken by that man who'd likely been in collaboration with slavers.

The memory made him feel tense and anxious all over. He reached up to adjust his hat, then sought to put himself at ease by singing a song he sometimes heard from his mother, Kaede.

Greetings to everyone here,

I've come to address you briefly,

Though I am of lowly birth,

My voice rivals that of the birds, yo-heave ho!

It had the effect of raising his spirits considerably, which spurred him to continue singing and even change the lyrics.

I am a merchant's son,

And I come bearing tea leaves.

They are fresh and fragrant,

Please help yourselves to them, huzzah!

Ichiro stopped to catch his breath after hitting a high-pitched note typically reserved for female singers. He became aware of a rustling among the trees by the right side of the narrow path. He slowed his pace in the hope of finding out the source of the noise, but after a few moments without seeing anything unusual, he figured that it had merely been a bird leaping from one branch to another.

Unbeknownst to him, the sound of his singing had caught the attention of a distant animal, and it was currently scurrying its way through the underbrush, eager to discover the sort of person he was.

******

Kumiko had spent almost an entire night chasing the red string to the point that she was too exhausted to maintain her human form. So, when the sun rose, she decided to take a rest while reassuring herself that it was bound to still be there later. However, when she woke up in the afternoon, it had vanished entirely, and as a result, she had spent a long time stewing in her feelings of disappointment and betrayal before rushing off to take her anger out on the closest beings she could find.

At dusk, she came upon a rough-looking group of men gathering twigs and branches as kindling, so to spite them, she produced five simultaneous balls of fire from her tails, then flung them straight at her unsuspecting targets. They screamed and ducked as they fled, with one of them being unlucky enough to get hit in the face and sustain mild burns.

Kumiko ran after the last man for extra measure and, once he was gone, retracted all but one of her tails before shrinking to the size of an ordinary fox. She found some undisturbed soil and dug a burrow to sleep in for her third night, hoping that the next day would bring much better luck.

By late morning on the fourth day, Kumiko had lost track of how far she'd traveled and whether she was still in Yamashiro Province. It occurred to her that Lord Tengu, Tsuneko, and the other yōkai were likely wondering why she hadn't returned, so with a heavy heart, she turned around to begin retracing her steps.

That was when she heard singing in the distance. She recognized the voice as distinctly male, though she was too far away to make out any precise words.

This came as a relief, for she knew that it would be possible to follow this person to the nearest town or city, where she could acquire new clothes and fill her stomach before heading back home.

She cocked both ears, using her sharp hearing to determine the direction from which the voice was coming. It turned out that the singer was somewhere in the southwest, so this was the route she took until the sight of a narrow dirt path brought a grin to her face.

I've made it. At last!

The voice was close by and clear enough for her to make out more of its characteristics. It was youthful and spirited, suggesting that the singer was in excellent health. Their song seemed to be about the places they would soon be passing through, and the longer that Kumiko listened, the more she found herself impressed by the strength of their vibrato.

Finally, a figure in drab brown kosode and trousers emerged from around the bend. The upper half of their face was obscured by their sandogasa, so Kumiko craned her neck to get a better view.

Unlike most lower-class people, the young man's skin was smooth and radiant. His lips appeared shapely and soft, which fueled her desire as she realized they'd be perfect for a first kiss and possibly more. She gave into temptation, rushing headlong towards the center of the path so that the traveler would have no choice but to notice her.

Her plan worked. The traveler stopped and lifted the brim of his hat to reveal his face in its entirety.

She froze in awe. He was simply beautiful, with dark eyes that sparkled in the light and seemed full of kindness, yet also hinted at a great deal of fortitude. His nose was straight and well-proportioned, and he possessed a strong chin that made him look like a valiant warrior rather than the pauper his clothes suggested he was.

She thumped her tail against the ground in joy, knowing that while she'd been let down when it came to finding her soulmate, encountering this fine young man more than made up for the pain and frustration.

******

Historical Notes:

- Ichiro was singing some of the lyrics of a folk song from Kawachi Province, which later became part of Osaka Prefecture.

- A sandogasa was a type of hat often worn while traveling. It was made from bamboo or sedge and was relatively wide. Below is an example of what they could have looked like.