Tsukasa Kudamaki bounded through the halls of her great tengu master's home, Megumu Iizunamaru. It was a beautiful property, built near the higher peaks of Mount Youkai Mountain, overlooking The Great Youkai Forest where many Youkai lived. The mansion was made of wood and stone, with intricate carvings and paintings depicting the history and legends of the tengu.
The interior of the home was spacious and elegant, with high ceilings and large windows that let in natural light. The walls were adorned with more artworks and scrolls, some of them ancient and priceless. But the old home was invaded by paperwork that littered the place like snowflakes. Megumu was responsible for the crow tengu, and with all the shennanigans they got up to, there was always a backlog of work.
Tsukasa arrived at Megumu's office, giving two knocks before swinging the door open and striding in. Megumu looked up from her desk, clad in her familiar and commanding uniform. It consisted of a dark blue dress with white trim and belts, and a golden pauldron on her left shoulder with a large blue inset gemstone. She wore a black waistcoat with white fur tufts lining the bottom, dark violet geta, and of course, her blue tokin. Her red eyes glinted with intelligence and authority. She was busy sorting through the piles of paperwork on her desk, signing documents, stamping forms, and writing reports. She had a serious and focused expression on her face, which Tsukasa dubbed her "serious stuff mode".
"Megumu-sama~!" she sung with cheer, excited to serve and make her master proud once again. "How may I serve you today?"
"Ah, good timing," Megumu said, standing up from her desk. Her face still held a serious tone despite the usual affection she would give upon seeing Tsukasa every day, which made Tsukasa's tail twitch. Her instinct's nervous sense wasn't helped by the fact that the great tengu was much taller than most Youkai, herself definitely included. Would she have a dreadful workload today? Would they have to go out and solve some dispute in person? She wasn't particularly a fan of venturing around Gensokyo, when the Youkai Mountain was where all the relevant affairs for tengu should be. Megumu paused for a moment, and then continued with a line that made Tsukasa freeze immediately: "As of today, you're fired."
Tsukasa felt her heart stop for a moment. She blinked, hoping she had misheard her master's words. But Megumu's expression was still serious and stern, as if she had just announced a matter of life and death.
"E-Eh...?" Tsukasa sputtered, her voice trembling. Her fox ears and tail drooped, color draining from her face. Megumu rolled her eyes, fetching something from her pocket as Tsukasa tried to speak. "I... but... wha...?"
Megumu didn't let Tsukasa pull it together. She held out a foreign device to Tsukasa, even smiling at its ingenuity. "This intriguing gizmo from the Outside World... They call it the smartphone. I'll admit, it'll take some time to learn, but with this, I got myself a new messenger."
Replaced. Tsukasa's horror amplified tenfold when she heard the words, "new messenger" leave Megumu's lips She was replaced. She felt confused, scared, and unable to do anything more than clutch her fox ears against her head, and feel the tears welling up in her eyes.
She managed to finally utter, as she began to break down, one last question in a manner like a betrayed pet. "Megumu-sama...?"
Megumu sighed, dropping her phone back into her pocket and crossing her arms. "Why won't you get it, Tsukasa?! Your services are no longer needed. Get out. Get out, Go!"
***
Tsukasa shot upward, her eyes wide open, panting in the dead of the night in her room. Her body was caked in sweat, a sickening feeling in her stomach almost made her want to hurl. She looked down, still trembling, and saw how she held a feral grip on her blankets. How could she even dream of such a thing? How could Megumu-sama ever fire her, let alone replace her with some strange device? She loved Megumu-sama more than anything in the world. She sniffled, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. She looked around her room, feeling lonely and scared. She wished Megumu-sama was here with her, to comfort her and tell her everything was alright. Yes, that's what would make it all better.
The kuda-gitsune hobbled out of bed, looking like a child who got lost at the grocery store as she sheepishly headed for Megumu's bedroom. She still felt a cold sweat on her forehead, and she tried not to let her mind wander back to the strange device. She whispered, "It's just a dream... Megumu-sama wouldn't... I'm a good assistant..."
Her nerves raised as she approached Megumu's room. First, she peeked in, peering at Megumu sleeping peacefully in a futon on the floor from the doorway. She looked so different from her usual polite yet commanding self. She wore simple sky blue pajamas that contrasted with her blue hair and red eyes. Her tokin was resting on a nearby table, along with her pauldron and waistcoat. Her face was relaxed and serene, her breathing soft and steady as she laid face-up. She looked like an angel to Tsukasa, who felt a renewed surge of love and admiration for her master. Tsukasa tiptoed into the room, careful not to make any noise that would wake Megumu up. She reached the futon and gently lifted the heavy blanket, sliding in next to Megumu. Due to the great tengu's size, and the small fox-like nature of Tsukasa, it looked more like a cat hiding from a thunderstorm than it did two Youkai bedded together.
Megumu felt the presense of a small, trembling assistant besides her. She groggily opened one eye, spotting a shivering form clutching her side under the covers.
"Nhm...? Tsukasa? What's wrong?"
A small, whimpery voice replied from under the covers: "I had a scary dream..."
While admittedly, Megumu held a slight tinge of annoyance at being awoken in the dead of night, with her eyebrows ever so slightly tilted downwards, it quickly softened upon hearing the fear-filled tone of Tsukasa. "I see. There, there," she murmured, moving her arm up to Tsukasa's hair to give it some comfort. "It's okay now."
Tsukasa's anxieties were slowly melting away. She came to a conclusion that finally let her sleep: Megumu-sama was not replacing her, and from this point onward, Tsukasa would work extra-hard to be the best assistant she could be.