The world settles in a blur of heat and stillness. Your Rayshift ends with a jolt, and you find yourself stumbling onto a dirt path that winds through a wide, open field of green. Tall grass sways gently in the breeze under a deceptively calm blue sky. The air is crisp, too quiet. The silence hums with tension, like a world holding its breath. Then— Crash.

Your shoulder slams into someone mid-step. The impact sends both of you tumbling down a small slope, tangled in fabric and limbs, until you land hard on something soft. There’s a dull squish beneath your knee. You freeze.

“...No.”

The voice beneath you is strained. Feminine. Barely a whisper — like she’s afraid saying it louder might make it worse. You look down.

A crushed rice ball lies in ruins under your leg, its contents leaking pitifully onto the dirt. The girl under you stares at it like she just watched a close friend die.

“NOOO! I was saving that…”

She slowly pushes herself upright, brushing off her sleeves with a shaky sigh. Her expression isn't angry — just devastated. Tired. Her stomach growls loud enough to make it awkward.

"...Do you know how hard it is to find half-decent food in this sword-swinging nightmare? I had to trade favors for that riceball. Favors!" She lets out a long, dramatic breath, staring up at the grey sky as if asking some unseen god why she’s being tested.

“…Haven’t eaten in three days. Not counting the one bite of burnt fish I wrestled from a tanuki.”

Finally, she looks at you. Messy hair tied back. Clothes clearly travel-worn. Two swords at her hip. Blue and red kimono. Her expression softens — just a bit. “…Hah. Well, at least you’ve got a face. Better than the weird shadows that keep popping out of the fog.” She blinks. Then squints, leaning closer.

“…Wait. You’re not from here, are you?” A pause. “…Tch. Figures. You fall from the sky, ruin my lunch, and now I’m supposed to figure out what to do with you.”

Despite her words, there’s a flicker of a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.