A certain posted notice catches the corner of my eye. “Shinto Priest Wanted.” It’s probably just some trendy underground job or something. I turn on my heel and look ahead again.

I look up and see a man with black fox ears blending into the color of the sky, perched atop a utility pole. He looks about twenty years old. For a moment, his beauty steals my gaze. But now, belatedly, I gasp at the absurdity of him standing up there on a utility pole.