Was the chase finally over?  Had they successfully made their great escape from the unrelenting Oni in hot pursuit? Kazumi scrambled out of the parked car, her furiously beating heart seeking resolve. Deepening breathes were soon to ease her frantic mind as familiarity returned to its natural state once more.  All the signs appeared to shift in the group’s favor, but who knew when or where they would meet their newly acquired assailant. Kazumi let her worried eyes roam in the direction of the darkened landscape they quickly left behind. There was no way she could explain what really happened up on Mount Wildwood; not when everything she had experienced blurred the lines of reality. 

Concerned words drew her wary eyes towards Natazume.  “Thankfully… I’m fine.  I did bring a little piece of the forest with me though.”  Kazumi took to tending the leaves and twigs that clung to her red hair, and anywhere else upon her casual attire. 

With the group in agreement, Kazumi tagged along to Timers & More. There [i]had[/i] to be a logical story behind these peculiar little watches and the creatures they revealed.  Once inside, Kazumi kept her ears open while she listened to the old man's revealing words.  To believe they would have already stumbled upon the creator of such sophisticated devices so easily seemed highly coincidental.  But what about Mortimer Goodsight and these Spirit Watches?  Was there a connection between him and the Gargoros’ existence? The possibility remained near in a sea of reasonable doubt. 

Even if all of these unbelievable revelations seemed nothing more than paranormal fiction, Kazumi’s wild imagination yearned to seek out the unknown no matter how great or small. Never once had her heart written off these invisible spirits that existed behind the scenes, yet to fathom the means to befriend one or more of these spirits as helpful companions took her by surprise. A glance down at her watch kept her second guessing about the capability to do so.  How often had science fiction been proven a fact of reality simply by the passage of time? 

Considering the evolutionary advancements in technology, Kazumi kept along with the lesson fairly unfazed.  Only the mentioning of malevolent spirits left her questioning the eternal good versus evil mentality of the world itself.  The world was indeed a challenging place.  What this all meant for Kazumi and her friends remained to be seen.  

Her curious eyes drifted upon the very first summons taking place from Tamago’s own watch.  The sudden realization of having a demon butler around made her smirk.  That was something she would have never expected to hear before this very night.  Led by a courageous heart, Kazumi followed suit, reaching out to take a coin for her own.  “Hang in there for me, Natazume,”  she called out, hoping that she would be alright.  The last thing she wanted to see was her best friend passing out on her.  

Kazumi lingered near Whisper.  “I guess you can just call me Kazumi,” she mentioned lightheartedly, “and I guess you could also say a have a question or two if you don’t mind me asking.” There were so many unknowns regarding the paranormal she wished clarified, but where was a good place to start?  Time was short and other priorities were close at hand.  “It was mentioned that most of these spirits are no longer befriended.  Does that also mean they are befriended to no one else as well?”  There was no way to tell for certain how many watches the wise old man really made in his lifetime and who may have had one presently.  

“And just because I’m oh so curious. You wouldn’t happen to know why this specific box of watches was placed at the river bank of all places. Wouldn’t it have been safer if they were kept in close possession?” Kazumi remained divided as to whether this find of theirs was purely coincidental.