I Despised You First PV Shimada Closed

It was a long climb up the winding staircase of the Owlery tower, one Kazuo wasn't overly fond of making. It wasn't the physical effort he was opposed to so much as the illogical necessity of it. For all that magic was a convenient tool, there were some things about wizard society here that seemed unnecessarily tedious. The requirement of owls to communicate with his parents was one such thing.

Oh, the freedom that summer vacation would bring!

He had counted the steps, of course. Every time he made this trip, he counted the steps. An idle habit to pass the time, an odd mental trick that told him exactly where he was in the climb. So he knew he was growing close to the top when he heard a familiar voice.

”Please… hold still!”

Oh, that devil woman was here. How unfortunate. He paused his ascent, considering whether to come back another time. He felt like he'd seen enough of Ileen to last a lifetime. Or at least until next year.

“I did tell you to wait downstairs! I told you, you would be scared!”

Who was she talking to? An indignant meow answered Kazuo's unspoken question and he snorted in amusement. Why would she bring her cat to the owlery? It seemed like common sense to him that the feline would probably upset the owls. As much as he hated leaving his little fluffball alone in the dorm, he had done so for that exact reason.

He paused a moment longer then made up his mind and continued up into the tower proper. The neatly creased letter, tucked away in a sealed envelope and addressed in flowing Japanese script, was important. This close to the end of the school year, Kazuo needed answers from his parents. Why let Ileen's annoying presence bother him? All he needed to do was send the letter and be done with it. As she came into sight, holding her ill-tempered cat, he gave her an irritated look. "You didn't upset all the owls with your demon cat, did you? I'd hate to have to waste my time calming them down."

Perhaps the snide comment had been unnecessary but there was something about Ileen that honestly just brought out the worst in him. He walked past her to gaze at the owls in their little cubbies, hoping to find one who was not riled up by the cat. There was one owl, a larger beast who seemed a bit steadier than the others. Perhaps he was an older owl, used to students and their pets. He cast a glance at Ileen and her cat as he moved toward the owl, hoping the little furball didn’t do anything to rile up the owls.

@Ileen Knight

Ileen flinched as the unnoticed and unwanted company spoke up. The only person who could darken her mood even more she could possibly think of had entered the owlery as well. Rolling her eyes in a very obviously annoyed way, Ileen turned around and glared at the boy. “Demon cat? Just because she doesn’t approve of everyone, she’s not evil. She just knows what to think of stupid people like you.” Sadly, she couldn’t think of a better answer - since he was kind of right, a fact that made her even more upset. She had tried to tell Liv to stay away but as always the stubborn cat had done what she felt like - clinging to Ileen’s leg.
Her arms still wrapped around the cat, the letter still not sent, her cheeks flushed slightly in embarrassment. Hopefully the dimmed morning light would disguise that as something different. She had absolutely no interest in showing Shimada her vulnerable spot.
Not getting Liv educated was certainly an issue and he had probably a point calling her demon. Ileen did that several times herself, but of course that was something completely different.

Shortly she was very tempted to just storm off - but now. She would not do him this favor. So, instead of leaving, she took a deep breath and then put on a mocking expression. “Hm. Not sure.” She frowned and looked up to the owls. Most of them had escaped to a higher spot to get as far away from Liv as possible. “I’d like to watch you climbing up there to get one of them down. I am terribly sorry.” Pff. If she wasn’t able to send her letter he shouldn’t either. Justice!
“And what are you doing here? Asking mommy and daddy for advice on how to restore your reputation?”
As if she wanted to underline her bity question, Liv hissed at the boy - or probably an owl behind him - it was hard to tell with that grumpy cat.

@Kazuo Shimada

Ooo the demon queen was in a bad mood. Kazuo graced her with a smirk at her cranky reply. "I didn't say she was evil. Her owner, on the other hand…" He trailed off, arching a brow at Ileen. "Well, a demon girl having a demon cat only makes sense." He watched her, noting that she wasn't leaving. Had she not sent her letter?

As she decided to make fun of him and the plight of trying to coax an owl down, he rolled his eyes. Looking up at the owls above them, he let out an irritated sigh. "Yes, I'm sure you would." He considered whether or not he could climb up to where the owls had fled. He could probably get up there but to either attach his letter or coax the owl down would be quite difficult. He wrinkled his nose in irritation, glancing at Ileen when she asked what he was doing in the owlery. His reputation? He gave her a puzzled look.

"Restore my reputation? I didn't realize it had been damaged. Care to tell me why my reputation needs restoring? Or why you seem to be implying that asking for help from my parents is a bad thing..."

@Ileen Knight