It was around this time, almost every day, that the school bells rang and students headed off to spend the rest of their day however they chose to. Some workers were released from their shifts, and others were just starting them. All in all, it was a perfectly average day in the peaceful town of Minazawa. Day in and day out, it was the routine as usual. This wasn't to say that nothing enjoyable or exciting ever happened, but nothing out of the ordinary occurred in the town, either. At least, not really. Certainly there were plenty of myths and rumors, but no-one really believed in those, right?

On most days you could be forgiven for thinking otherwise.

Just like any other day in Minazawa, given the temperature was pleasant and there was no sign of unpleasant weather on the horizon, there was a plethora of people investigating the reported mysteries. From the vanishing alleyway, to sightings of the beautiful vampire in the entertainment district, to the hidden district, there were all kinds of investigations. One in particular was a reported encounter with at a kuchisake-onna, the scissor-wielding specter reportedly stalking the back alleys of the town in search of anyone who was out late at night. The local high school's paranormal investigation club was all over that particular rumor. Not that they had any idea what they'd do if they actually found a kuchisake-onna, but damn it, they would try all the same! Other recent highlights in the Minazawa mythology were the rumor of a kitsune in the form of a beautiful woman hanging around the old abandoned shrine at the edge of town, one that had sadly fallen to a raging fire many years ago.

Another favorite was the tale of some form of spider woman. Then, of a female oni living on the edge of town. A particularly striking rumor that even the most staunch nonbelievers couldn't ignore, however, was the daylight lightning strike.

It was less a rumor and more a fact. Everyone had seen it, but there was not a cloud in the sky. Thankfully, no-one had been hurt, but indeed when the place it had apparently struck was investigated there was a smoking crater still left in the concrete. While there were many people trying to come up with a rational explanation for the event, the supernatural one was fairly popular.

One girl in particular didn't seem to care for any of these investigations.

She thought them all to be rather foolish.

Midorikawa Fumie made her way past a few groups of both her peers and adults, one in particular investigating a 'mysterious' set of stairs that apparently had one more step on the way down then they did on the way up. It was something she'd never paid attention to, simply because she knew better then that.

Her bag carried by a strap over her shoulder, its long shape perfect for carrying something very important to her, Fumie reflected on recent occurrences. There'd been a buzz among her fellow students about the daylight lighting strike, even moreso then the other strange rumors that circulated through the student body. Of course, that wasn't the only thing they were talking about. All sorts of subjects traveled from student to student, some Fumie preferred to hear about more then others.

The fact that she was so 'tiny and cute' was not one of the ones she liked hearing about. Really, it made the black-haired girl quite irritable whenever she heard someone mention it to her.

Fumie's height, to put it simply, wasn't a topic she liked to be reminded about.

However, for once, she was rather interested in the 'daylight lightning strike'. Or rather, interested in what caused it.

It was important, after all. Something like that could be awfully dangerous...

In any case, it was another day in the town of Minazawa. A town where some believed anything could happen.

And sometimes, maybe it did.

@Raineh Daze@Espada Emi@UndeadSpartan@Phonic@OliveYou@TheFake@Rin@Tachi

The rumours in this town seemed so... over-active. Raum didn't get out as much as she would like, even being pretty shy--the number of times someone had tried to tell her that she needed to go to school was quite... frustrating. She had the right ID and everything to get around it, but people just wouldn't take no for an answer sometimes... like today! The demon had just wanted to go watch a movie, and a too-friendly policeman had started asking about parents and why wasn't she in school and...

Just because she liked watching children's movies and was carrying Muninn with her was no reason to judge. Just like that go club that had insisted that she should go join an elementary school sports team or something.

But even with her tendency to stay at home, there were still so many rumours around. They couldn't all be true, right? Or even half of them. This was a small, out-of-the-way town in Japan; the sort of place where nobody would own a copy of the "new" Ars Goetia and its accurate descriptions, where the worst thing that was around would have to be some sort of amateur onmyouji. But... the lightning...

It hadn't been too far from that nice western-style café, so it wouldn't hurt to look... and Raijū was the sort of thing that might not live here but could pass through, which would be good to find out before it got really dangerous so she could just prepare to stay inside for a few days.

All of which meant that a small girl with mismatched eyes, a sort of casual-lolita outfit, and a torso-sized stuffed raven was walking around near the Nine Tails Café, looking closely at the floor for signs of burn marks.

"...I believe I win again."

"So you do..."

The clack of the mahjong tiles cease, and as the participants stand, yawn, stretch, and go about their business, the winner stays in his seat, crossing his legs and looking out the window with a quiet, disinterested gaze. The scenery outside is tremendously plain today, a rare occurrence considering the sort of town Minazawa is. Certainly, the rumors have been of the usual sort (except that lightning strike), and Fumihiro is honestly getting a little tired of it all, so he retired to the Nine Tails Café to drink some green tea and play a game or two of mahjong. It helps with the boredom, and the conversation is enjoyable.

Come to think of it, the middle-aged man in front of him is offering him money -- game winnings, probably -- but Fumihiro waves him away.

"Eh, but you said you wanted to play for...?"

"No need. I'll have another cup of your green tea, and those tea biscuits. Ah, don't worry about the mess -- I'll clean it up." Stacking the tiles neatly inside their case and handing to the man, Fumihiro gives him a polite smile, to which the owner chuckles.

"You're a good man, Haku. I can't count the times that my mother has claimed you as her own grandchild, or my sister has commented on your good manners. You must have very happy parents."

"The compliment is much appreciated," Fumihiro tells him. If only you knew. True, he has visited this café at a much higher frequency lately, so of course the owners would become attached to him, but if they truly knew of his origins, he is perfectly sure they would cut all ties. It's honestly pitiful, the way he continues to visit them... No, no, he means them, they're the pitiful ones. He is only doing this for the sake of keeping up appearances and staving off boredom... nothing more...

As Fumihiro mulls over his life as of late, his eye is caught by a small girl outside, one in a Lolita style of dress and holding an enormous stuffed toy, a raven. Moreover, she seems to be inspecting the ground, adding to her slightly-strange appearance. Though, this is Minazawa, so oddities are common, and yet Fumihiro continues to watch her out of the corner of his eye. She could be important. He has to stay aware of his surroundings at all times.

And in a town like Minazawa, oddities aren't just a trick of the eye -- in Minazawa, it's better to assume the supernatural rather than the mundane explanation.

After all, his own existence proves that, doesn't it?

"Hmm...the human world sure is big!"

What was either a tomboyish young girl in almost stereotypical ninja garb. Without knowing it, this young ninja is performing an even bigger cliche, in that she's overlooking a pretty big portion of the town from atop the roof of a building. But! This enterprising young kunoichi is putting such a tired old routine for good reason this time! As she surveys the layout of the city she stretches her hands out wiiiiiiide, at first just seeming amazed.

However, anyone who had good enough eyesight and noticed the girl perched on the rooftop would see a faint shimmering in the air around her, starting at her fingertips and moving outward slowly, rainbows of soft light drifting with the wind. If anyone's eyesight proved really, truly keen they might even see the dozens of strands of ultra-thin silk unfurling from the girl's fingertips, all drifting in slightly different directions like a vast net spread over several streets. Once that was done she cupped her palms to her ears and waited there pensive and focused. She closed her eyes and attuned to the tiniest bit of vibration against her fingertips, waiting for the little voices and sounds carried to her.

"Spider Art: Spying Web!"

It was a game familiar to many children: Take a long string and attach a cup to either end, and you had a really basic telephone. But the young shinobi's senses were so heightened, her lines of silk so fine and strong, that no cups were necessary at all! The vibrations against her palms and ears were enough to get impressions of sounds and conversations within a few feet of her strands, as long as she kept them attached to her fingertips and they didn't break. It was one of her most advanced techniques and she had to meditate for hours to get the energy but it was worth it.

After all...

"Hmm...Mother...where could you be...in this human town?"

She was Yasome-Hime, heir to the Tsuchigumo Clan and her mother was missing!