Masashi

Masashi remembered the exact texture of the cherry blossom petal that landed on their nose moments before a friend stitched the frog patch over their eye as a joke. They never took it off. The wind that bit at them now carried no such sweetness, only the scent of pine and something monstrous ahead. Beside them, Mesuokami moved without a sound, a study in grim purpose. The Panda Council had exiled Masashi from The Great Panda City not for a crime, but for a spirit they deemed too frivolous for their solemn streets. Mesuokami, however, found that spirit useful, claiming their grin was a lantern in the grim places they hunted. The beast growled. Masashi's own grin widened, a silent answer to the city that cast them out.