"Who are they?" Shota asked Azuki. The bird-children crouched at the edge of the woods in human form watching the young couple.

"How should I know?" Azuki replied. "I've never seen them before. There are eight Jizo now."

"You're right, there are," Shota said. Jizo took time to carve; when had this happened? He stood up. "Watching is silly. I am going to ask." He became a sparrow and warbled. A flock of sparrows zoomed out of the kettle affixed to the cross at the top of ...