Forgetting Something

Nagisa began walking towards the center of the capital to look for shops, disregarding his hand still bleeding. He had forgotten all about it after her face had lit up. The girl took quick notice of it and pondered for a few seconds, then decided promptly to snatch his hand gracefully without Nagisa noticing.

She put her lips gently on the wound and began licking it slightly. The saliva coated the wound and Nagisa felt a tingly feeling before he came to realize what had happened and turned his head.

"Wh--aaat are you doing?!" Nagisa cracked his voice, all panicky.

An immediate stutter made her pause instantly and curl down her knees. She protected her head, assuming she would be punished and hit.

Nagisa sighed, "I am not hitting you. You are free, remember?" He helped her right back up by giving her a hand and she nodded.

Nagisa looked at her, waiting for an answer to explain her actions.

"H-heal…" The girl mumbled in a stuttered tone and Nagisa held up his right hand and looked at his palm.

The wound had completely healed and closed up.

"Thank you," Nagisa smiled back at her and decided to pat her head one more time.

She wagged her tail happily from the praise and gentle strokes, it was something she had not experienced in a long time.

It was problematic finding a werebeast-friendly tavern to dine, and it took a while before they found a smaller and quiet one that appeared more discreet towards their customers. The previous ones had given him the boot and all kinds of disapproving looks when he had brought her in.

Nagisa ordered a couple of steaks and some fries. Nagisa had secretly been craving some fries for a while now, it began when Risa had decided on wanting a more rice based cuisine as it was less expensive.

The fries reminded him of his weekends back in Japan, snacking on chips while playing games and watching anime. Nagisa looked at the girl in front of him, who had already dug in, rapidly devouring the meat portion, finishing it in the matter of seconds.

"Want some more?" Nagisa observed and posed the silly question.

She nodded happily several times, it made him laugh. He gladly ordered more and after a while he took notice she barely touched her fries while skipping her vegetables entirely.

"Not fond of them?" Nagisa asked.

She looked down shyly without much of a response. Nagisa bent over and snatched them away swiftly, and braced her with a smile once she had lifted her head in response to the snatching.

"Do not worry! Luckily, they are my favorites!" Nagisa broadly grinned.

And it lifted her spirits right back up as she slightly wagged her tail. Once he had finished he looked at her.

"By the way, what is your name?" Nagisa nonchalantly asked while waving his hand for the tab.

"... For… got…" she sniffled in tears in trying to remember, letting her tail fall down.

"Emi!" Nagisa immediately startled her with his sudden tone.

"From now on, your name will be Emi. Short and cute, huh? I think it will fit you perfectly!" Nagisa named and sold the name to her.

The girl who was named Emi began wagging her tail anew.

"Do you like it?" Nagisa grinned.

Emi shyly looked away once more, embarrassed. However, Nagisa took that as a "yes" and made a small chuckle before exiting the shop with her.

Nagisa began to ponder once they were outside. Is there any shelter or place he could take her, or was she stuck with him for now? He scratched his head while Emi confusingly looked at him.

"Places to be… places to go…" he rambled on scattering his brain for a second.

"Wait… places to be?" A cold realization dreaded over Nagisa as he began perspiring.

The entrance exam! Somehow it had slipped his mind after his encounter with Emi.

"Come! We have to hurry!" Nagisa took Emi's hand and ran through the city.

They sprinted through streets and alleys, making way towards the academy. People told him to slow down, while others had him pegged with mischief by giving him suspicious looks.

When Nagisa had finally reached the academy's gates, panting heavily, did he realize to quickly look at Emi if she was alright. She was fine, only flushed cheeks, heavily embarrassed how Nagisa had dragged her through and held her hand the entire way.

"Ah… sorry!" Nagisa promptly apologized with a hand gesture held before his face to make a sincere and apologetic gesture.

Emi shook her head, "It is okay…" she spoke out in a hushed voice.

Nagisa passed through the magic gates, scanning him and Emi, then proceeded towards the registry, as he was instantly teleported inside, bypassing the outer front garden. A woman stood behind the counter and gave him a welcoming look.

"How may I help you?" The woman put on a friendly-neutral smile.

"Hello, I am Nagisa, I am here for my entrance exam, I know I am late… but…" he attempted to explain his situation while still catching his breath from his earlier sprint.

"Right this way," she made way and interrupted him.

The lady began guiding him towards the examination room. After a few minutes of walking they reached a hallway, then shortly the much anticipated examination room with the door being still left open. There stood a teacher who had begun explaining the various tests prior to the examination's start.

"Ugh… who brought this smell?"

"Is that a werebeast?"

"What is it doing here…"

A few people began discussing immediately once they had entered the room and got distracted, turning their heads to the new two arrivals.

"Leave your animal at home… this is no place for pets nor slaves," a noble and handsome looking boy with red hair spoke.

"You tell him Daiki!" A much familiar voice spoke, it was Sakai.

No signs of May, Ayato and Miyuki. They appeared to be in a different kind of examination or managed to bypass it simply by being adopted by noble families. Daiki quickly gave a cold look to Sakai to remain quiet as it was not a befitting gesture, it reminded Nagisa of Miyuki.

"It is alright, Sakai, no need to comment. It will be fine, just as soon as this commoner leaves with his filthy animal," Daiki smirked.

Sakai nodded in response and remained silent for the time being. The examiner came forth and told Nagisa to take a seat if he was here for the exams.

"No werebeasts allowed, sorry. Keep her outside," she informed Nagisa.

"Do you mind fixing her… she… reeks… you can fine her owner later with the fee charges," The examiner told the receptionist and she nodded in return.

She approached Emi after retrieving Nagisa's luggage to separate the two of them, and Emi attempted to reach out for Nagisa. He decided to walk back to her for a brief moment and hunch down to whisper in her softly in her soft and fluffy ears.

"I will come back for you, do not worry. I am Nagisa by the way, forgot I had not introduced myself to you before," he smiled.

"Go with the nice lady and wait for me, okay? Nod if you understand," Nagisa instructed.

Emi nodded with teardrops forming at the corner of her eyes. However she managed to hold them back.

"Your seat…" The examiner grew impatient.

Nagisa returned and saw Emi's small silhouette disappearing through the hallway and the door closing in between them.

Nagisa headed towards the only empty seat available in the room and found himself tripped down on the floor. When he looked up, a confused looking Daiki stared intently at him.

"Are you going to apologize or were you taught no manners?" Daiki asked with his arms raised up, shaking his head sideways to hint at Nagisa's cluelessness.

"You are kidding, right?" Nagisa looked back at him intently.

"Why are you looking at me like that? You are the one who tripped where my foot was resting. Not to mention also delaying our examination? Surely you can find it in your heart to apologize for one of them, if not both?" Daiki annoyingly continued.

Nagisa thought about it reasonably for a second, not to make a ruckus; he had decided on his next move, even if might not have been a sincere choice. He cracked a smile.

"Sorry to have delayed our exami…" Nagisa attempted to forward his apology.

"While you are at it, do you mind adding in another apology for the stench? It still reeks of that werebeast girl you brought alongside you… I find it disturbing and causing me to derail my focus!"

Daiki cut Nagisa short in mid-sentence. Both found themselves glaring at each other. Nagisa angrily and Daiki with a large smirk. Some people were slightly laughing in the background at Daiki's relentless assault to humiliate Nagisa further.

"Take your seat and stop this nonsense!" The teacher interrupted their charade.

Nagisa walked and brushed it off. Daiki, a name he would make sure to remember. The examination was now full in session, and Nagisa tried his hardest to block out what happened and focus on the exam itself, also with Emi beckoning in his back mind.

The humiliation brought to him, he could live with, it was something he was used to. But to target a young girl, his newly acquainted Emi, he could not.

In this life Nagisa had already convinced himself to not tolerate people who come at him, no more sitting back and taking the beating. Not now, after all, he still had things up his sleeve for his future to come.