Over the years, and they were many, you have been told a great many lies.

"Fairies are terrifying and will eat you!"

"I'm the strongest!"

"Okay, maybe fairies aren't as scary as I said, but youkai certainly are!"

"I'm totally human."

"I'm totally human."

"No, I'm human!"

"Okay, maybe youkai can look indistinguishable from humans, but they still will eat you at the first chance they get! Seriously, trust me on this, I've been writing about this for generations!"

...Thinking back, most people you know are also terrible liars.

"Is it okay if I eat you now?" The blonde peeks over your shoulder, licking her lips. She clearly assumes that you will let her sooner or later, but for now those bright red puppy eyes aren't doing the trick.

"No."

"Pleaaase?" She give you her best begging eyes, which just makes you roll your eyes as best you can.

You offer her a worm, as you have innumerable times before. "No."

She sucks it up like the world's nastiest ramen. "Ish dat sho?"

"It is, yeah." Missing only one beat, you add, "And don't talk with your mouth full."

"Then I can eat you?"

"No."

"But you said yes!" Upon that maneater's face, a pout sprouts forth, as if that is all it will take to get a yes.

"I was saying 'yes, it is so' not 'yes, go ahead and eat me'."

She lets out a long-drawn sigh, as if you are the one making unreasonable requests here. "Fiiiiiine..." Then again, maybe you are. After all, it's possible that she asks complete idiots the same question, getting a far more favorable answer. However, be that as it may, you've still got a number of years left in your old bones, and you'd rather that they spend them under your wrinkles rather than in less pleasant locales among the detritus of the forest floor.

With her last attempt (if you can even call it an attempt) to eat you for the day over with, Rumia flies off, darkness itself, pure and impenetrable, enveloping her in inky black. You hear the eventual hollow thunk of an impact between the youkai of darkness and a tree, same as usual. You'd think she just wants to lower your guard by acting a fool, but that would best have been capitalized upon decades ago, so you don't even bother looking.

And, same as always, you live. And, same as always, you get another worm and bait your hook. And, just as similar to yesterday and yesteryear alike, you cast your line as you float upon the surface of the lake in your fishing boat. In your youth you might have done more practical attempts at catching fish, such as employing a net, but you've a son doing that. And he has a son helping with that. And, before long, he'll also have a son, and then your son might finally join you on the water. And, further along, you'll be gone, replaced by just your son, and then his son will join sooner or later, and the cycle will repeat over and over. And, like you are doing today and every day, they'll be wasting their days fishing for little return in a boat full of more holes than your wife.

Which is impressive, because she's been in the ground five years now.

You reach for your bottle of sake, pulling the cork with what teeth you have left, and spit it into your collection of spare bobbers. With the alcohol freed from its prison, you take a swig and pass it to your bored childhood friend.

"Can I go yet?"

"Nope. Have some sake for your troubles."

"K."

The ice fairy in your lap takes a swig herself, and then sighs, setting it back with the ice. Some might like their sake hot, or warm or what have you, but you like it ice cold. On a hot summer day like today, there's no better way to cool off than a fairy in your lap and good sake on hand. Well, other than that time that fairy encased you in ice when she sneezed. Seriously, how does that even work...?