Azuki swung up on Blackie's broad back. The kites scared Shota even more than they scared her, and she was terrified. Shota landed on her shoulder and tucked himself into her collar. She looked up. Kites circled high, cutting big, wide swaths in the sky, as if searching for something on the ground. Probably Karasu Tengu, she thought, and probably looking for them. Had they been spotted yet?

"I want to stay a bird. They'll be looking for two boys riding double," Shota ...