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"...What the hell did you do to my garden?!"
After the Oni confessed to his actions, you immediately stepped outside and looked at all the damage that had been done.
Many of your plants and crops were smushed into the ground, the fertilizer spilled all over, and vines thrown everywhere.
Your mouth fell agape as your heart shattered into a million pieces.
"I-I didn't mean to! There was a cat that attacked me, and I was trying to get away from it!"
The Oni hunched over, looking at the heartbreak on your face.
You rushed over to a portion of your crops, pulling up the broken vines, staring in disbelief.
"I-It's not so bad! You know, you can just get some tape, pull them back up, and..."
Your angry gaze turned to him, making him swallow harshly. You stood up, balling your fist.
"Do you know how long it took me to grow all of this?!" You punched his chest again, making him flinch and move back.
"I—"
"This garden is my life!"
You punched his arm, making him grab your wrist in response.
"I'm—"
"I worked years taking care of them!"
"I'm s—"
You pulled your hands over his horns, making him yelp.
Shaking his head back and forth violently, he grabbed both of your wrists and pushed you back.
Your hood fell down off your head without you noticing.
"How the hell am I supposed to just 'fix' this, huh?!"
The Oni remained silent. You panted, looking back at his eyes.
You noticed that he was instead, looking at your head.
His mouth slightly fell open, as he seemed to stare in awe.
"...You're a Blue Oni..."
You huffed, giving him a slap to the face. He released his grip on you, rubbing on his cheek.
"You're paying me to fix all of this!" You shouted, crossing your arms.
He looked back at you, still admiring your horns.
"Another Blue Oni..." He mumbled, his cheek turning red from your slap.
You grit your teeth, stomping on the ground. "Are you even listening to me?!"
He blinked, shaking his head. "R-Right! Of course, I'll pay you back every mora to fix your garden!"
You frowned, feeling like his statement was a lie. "...That's not good enough!"
"I'll pay you double...?" He scratched his head.
"Do you know the amount of time and labor I'll have to go through just to get my garden back to how it was before you showed up?!" You shouted.
He rubbed the bottom of his horns, nodding his head. "I'll help you out! That way, the process is twice as fast!"
"Hell no!" You protested. "You're nothing but trouble!"
"Hey, I'm not that bad... besides, agriculture is kinda boring anyways. You should—"
You shot him a seething look, making him shut his mouth.
Your cheeks puffed out as your anger grew. "I want triple the amount of what you did."
"T-Triple?!" His eyes widened in disbelief.
Your cheeks turned red. "Yes! And I want it all back before the year ends!"
"Th-That's only in three months!" He crossed his arms. "There's no way I can round up a thousand mora for this..."
"Thousand?" You shook your head. "What you did is worth almost a million!"
"Mill..." His jaw fell open.
You watched as his body swayed, as if he was going to faint.
You huffed once more, grabbing his horn to pull his face down to your level.
"Half a million mora." You spat, giving him a cold stare. "Or I turn you in."
He gulped. "Okay, okay..."
"Before the year ends." You added.
He nodded frantically.
You released your grip on him, making him let out a breath he was holding.
"Did you have to hold it so harshly..." He rubbed his horn. "You should know how sensitive they are..."
You rolled your eyes. "I know. That's why I did that."
He sighed, standing up straight. "I'll get your mora. I swear!"
"And how do I know that you will?" You asked. "You could just be saying that. You might try and run away or avoid me."
He gave a nervous laugh. "Come on, Oni to Oni... you can trust me!"
You squinted. "Trust you? After what you did?!"
"Er... yeah!"
You crossed your arms, not trusting any word that fell from his mouth. "I don't care what you do, or how you do it. I want my compensation. At the exact amount."
"Wh-What about a little discount...? You know, us, we go wayyy back! So, maybe like... 75% off...?"
"No!" You shouted, making him flinch. "Half a million or you're getting turned in!"
He groaned. "Fine, fine..."
"Hmph." You crossed your arms, turning your face away from him. "I'm your employer. And under that law, it means you have to compensate me for the damages. If you don't, you'll only be spending a lifetime behind bars."
"What, like you're the boss?!"
"Of course I am! Look what the hell you did!" You sneered.
"There's no way! No one is the boss of me!"
You took a step closer to him, making him take his words back.
"O-On second thought... I'll just let it slide this one time..."
"Good." You muttered, pushing past him.
You noticed how Kitty was laid down onto your porch, the hairs on her back standing up.
She stared down at the Oni, her pupils small and her claws emerging from her paws.
You grinned, patting her head and slowly picking her up.
Cradling her in your arms, you turned to look back at the Oni.
You could see the fear settling in his body as you approached him.
"Good, Kitty, good Kitty..." You said, rubbing behind her ear.
"That thing tried to kill me!" The Oni said.
"I'll make sure she does if you don't get my mora." You replied.
Kitty hissed at the Oni, making him flinch.
"I-I said I would!"
"Hmph." You pet Kitty, feeling as she buried her face into the cradle of your neck.
"So, uh..." The Oni scratched his head. "...What's your name?"
"...Y/N." You said, giving him a distasteful look.
"Oh..." His gaze softened as he looked at you.
"...Why are you looking at me like that?!" You frowned.
"S-Sorry!" He cleared his throat. "The name's Arataki Itto! But, you can call me... hm..."
"I'm not calling you anything." You rolled your eyes.
"Okay, okay..." He laughed. "So, Y/N... uh, why are you out here by yourself?"
You tilted your head. "You should know."
"I, uh, don't..."
Scoffing, you pet Kitty and dug your face into hers. "Because Blue Oni don't association with humans."
To your surprise, he frowned. "That doesn't mean anything."
"It means everything." You protested. "You get to enjoy life in the city and everywhere else because of us. We just don't... fit in."
Your words did not please him as he responded. "At the end of the day, we're still Oni. Blue or Crimson, we're the same. Just because I'm out in the streets, doesn't mean humans automatically accept me... some even throw beans at me from time to time."
"Beans..." You gagged, twirling Kitty's tail around your finger.
"Yes, beans! Our sworn enemy!" He huffed. "But not all humans are the same. Yes, there are some unruly ones, but there are some really nice ones, too! Take my gang, for example. They're all humans, and they love me to death!"
You rolled your eyes. "To death, huh..."
He nodded. "Duh! I'm their boss!"
You groaned at his arrogance. "And what if one day they turn on you?"
He looked down at you puzzled. "Turn on me? Haha! They've busted me out of jail sooo many times! I doubt there will be a moment when they'll betray their leader!"
"You're so cheeky." You said.
"I'd like to think I'm more of a charmer." He smirked.
"Ew." You gagged. "Get over yourself."
Kitty turned her head to look back at him. He took a step back, laughing nervously.
"Well, how about this, since you clearly have some trust issues." He put his hands on his hips, smiling.
"..." You remained quiet, just eyeing him as he spoke.
"How about you join the gang? That way you can be sure that I get your mora back, and I can prove you wrong about my guys turning on me!"