I sighed in relief at the change of topic. My recent and sudden bout of honesty had been disconcerting to me the more I thought about it. I actually felt a strong desire to tell her the truth.

  And the truth? That my humanoid form was specifically created by Nature to... influence friends and enemies. My body was specifically made to attract the people around me.

  It was a gateway subject I really didn't want to discuss. Oh, that's because I'm actually a nine-tailed Kitsune with ethereal capabilities on a revenge quest to kill the horrible monsters who destroyed my forest and killed my family.

  Yeah, it wasn't exactly the most pleasant topic. Even the thought made me wince.

  And yet, for some reason, if this cat girl looked at me and asked, I would tell her. I didn't know why, but I knew I would.

  I quickly nodded and pointed to the gate. "Follow me!" For some reason, I felt excited. Like this was meant to be.

  Tama nodded, and we set off to the gate. The guards looked at us as we approached but said nothing as we passed.

  I made my way through the streets, Tama close behind. Her head almost seemed to be on a swivel, I noticed. Everything was brand new to her.

  She kept asking questions, and I couldn't help but smile at her antics. It was oddly comforting to see someone so genuine and full of life. I hadn't seen that since...

  I cut that train of thought instantly. I knew where that led, and I wanted nothing to do with it.

  We had made it about halfway through the road when I heard a yelp of pain. Turning quickly, I saw a man holding his wrist, a bloody stump where his hand had been.

  He looked at the girl in front of him in terror. Said girl, obviously Tama, was glaring up at him.

  I tried not to laugh. I knew it was serious. But looking at Tama, who was the same height as me, maybe an inch taller at most, glaring up at a man who looked to be at least 6 inches taller than her was comedic, to put it mildly.

  What was even funnier was that I knew Tama could kill everyone in the town before the guards could even raise their swords if she wanted to.

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  I knew she wouldn't do that though. I don't know why I knew that. But I just did. The same things that told me to trust her also made me feel like she wasn't a murderer.

  It was clear by the brutal slice that the man had most likely tried to pickpocket Tama. A costly mistake on their part.

  As expected, a guard appeared after a few moments, and I quickly stepped in. I sized him up. Clearly a young man in his early twenties wearing polished leather armor. Visually, he had short brown hair and brown eyes. He stood at around 6 feet tall and confidently held himself. This was a man who cared about appearance.

  I stepped into the conversation right as Tama responded to the guard: "This man tried to steal from Tama! So Tama removed his hand!" The guard looked at the cat girl disapprovingly and opened his mouth to speak. I cut in before he could speak.

  "I am appalled that the city guard would allow common thieves in this city! I thought you people were supposed to uphold honor and righteousness. The mere fact this young cat girl had to step in for you is a disgrace!" I made sure to emphasize his station and his failure specifically.

  The guard reacted exactly as I expected and stiffened. I had just insulted his pride and honor after all. "I am sorry, ma'am, that this happened," he stated quickly before continuing. "However, it is not appropriate to take matters like these into your own hands. You must report this to the guards!"

  Inwardly I smirked. Putting on a face of anger and disappointment, I spoke: "So you expected my friend here to just be robbed? Honestly, it should have never reached this point! You should thank her for doing your job for you!"

  The man, already standing still, actually looked about to cry. I went in for the killing blow: "Look, we can just put this behind us. What do you say? You take this horrible thief away, and me and my friend will keep this between us!"

  I saw the man actively looking around. A few people had looked over, but the conversation up to this point had been quiet enough that no one had heard. After a moment, he cleared his face and looked down at the three of us. "I thank you, citizens, for helping me make this arrest. While I could have easily handled this, your help was invaluable," he said loudly enough for everyone to hear as he grabbed the thief and dragged him away.

  I said nothing, only smiled as the guard dragged the thief away. After that, no one tried to pickpocket us.

  I sighed in relief as we finally reached the adventurers' guild. The last visit had not gone well, but with Tama at my side, this would be a whole different ball game! I pointed to the sign now above my head. "We are here!" I said with a grin and a wink.

  Tama looked at the sign for a long time before looking down at me and asking, "What's that say?" I paused for a moment as realization struck me like a runaway cart. Tama couldn't read. It was so ridiculous and yet so obvious in retrospect.

  I looked at her with a genuinely amused smile. "It says 'Adventurers Guild,' Tama." She nodded, looking at the sign for another moment before looking back at me with a determined look. "Okay, Tama is ready!"

  Confused at her determined expression, but ready to get this over with, I opened the double doors and walked in, Tama on my heels.